Artemisia School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
by xXPokePotterIslandXx
Summary: Harry Potter universe AU. Cinder is a muggle-born witch transferring to Artemisia School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She thinks that her secret will be the biggest thing she has to worry about, but with a wicked headmistress, centaur attacks, a strange wand and a... unique group of friends, there's more to this school than meets the eye. All canon pairings inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder dragged her feet, hunch-backed and already exhausted from the weight of the shopping bags in her hands. They weren't even anything useful! Just stupid stuff like remembralls and sneakoscopes.

"Cinder! Quit dawdling and hurry up! We have to buy all the new books Pearl and Peony need for school!" Cinder threw back her head and groaned at her stepmother's scathing voice. No mention of the books _Cinder_ will need of course.

Cinder trudged past the stalls of the Common Market to where Adri was waiting impatiently, tapping her foot and scowling. Cinder scowled right back and shoved open the door to the bookstore with her shoulder.

As soon as she was inside, Cinder dropped the torturous shopping bags and sat on a nearby stool, massaging her aching arms. Merlin's beard, how many two-way mirrors does one person need, seriously?

The store clerk leaned over the counter and smiled politely at Adri. "Good day Linh-mei! What books will you be needing this year?"

"I need a _Standard Book of Spells Grade 7_ by Miranda Goshawk for Pearl, and a _Standard Book of Spells Grade 4_, and _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble for Peony. Do you have any second-hand copies of the _Standard_ _Book of Spells Grade 6_, _100 Essential Elixirs, Antidotes and Poisons _by Pine Benson, _Fighting Shadows _by Evret Hayle, _Changing Shapes_ by Jannali Coal and _Plants Can Kill Too_ by Michelle Benoit?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. She always got second-hand. She'd complained about it to Adri once, and got called greedy and selfish and had to suffer through a long lecture about how much full quality items cost. It had taken all of Cinder's self-control not to snap back a comment about Adri's expensive lifestyle.

The store clerk's eyebrows rose as Adri listed all the books Cinder will need. "Cinder's switching schools?" Adri nodded briskly. "Yes, I applied Cinder for Artemisia and she got accepted. I heard that the books they ask for are less expensive than the ones Hogwarts requires, and I thought that Cinder could at least go there so the bite she takes out of my bank account is a little less huge." Cinder didn't bother to hide her snort.

While the store clerk went to look for the books Adri requested in the back, Peony, Cinder's younger step-sister, skipped over to her.

"I can't believe you're going to Artemisia! You're so lucky!" Cinder snorted again. "Well it's true!" Peony insisted, "That's the school Kai Royal goes to! What I wouldn't give to get to see his dreamy face every day…" Peony trailed off and sighed dreamily, thinking about her celebrity crush.

Cinder didn't know that much about Kaito Royal, only that he's the son of the Commonwealth minister of magic and that every girl alive wanted to date, no, _marry_ him, especially Peony.

Peony's sigh suddenly sharpened into a gasp and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet, regarding Cinder with sparkling eyes. "He's in your year!" She practically shrieked. Cinder just blinked at her. Peony squealed again before taking a deep breath, calming herself down enough to explain. "Kai is in your year, which means you'll be sharing classes with him, which means you will inevitably get to know each other, and you'll fall in love with him since he's so perfect and then you guys will start dating and-"

Cinder held up a finger, silencing her. "No."

Peony's face fell and she pouted disappointedly. "Why not?"

"Gee, I don't know…" Cinder rolled her eyes at her sister. "maybe because I'm a muggle-born with no money, no status and let's not forget my fake limbs!" As she said this, Cinder held up her left hand.

Unlike her right hand, her left had strange golden light pulsing through its veins, a slightly shimmery texture to the skin and softly glowing fingernails. The same went for her left leg. They were fake, conjured entirely from magic.

Cinder normally wore gloves in public in an effort to hide her magically-created hand, though the difference was hard to see unless you looked closely or Cinder's emotions were particularly strong, but Pearl had "accidentally" burned her gloves to smouldering husks of thread and leather in a fit of rage at Cinder for breaking her favourite necklace. Despite Adri's fury, Cinder had refused to apologise. It wasn't her fault that Pearl was stupid enough to just leave a delicate necklace where anyone could step on it.

Peony waved off Cinder's reasoning. "Oh, he doesn't believe in the whole pure-bloods-are-superior way of mind, and what does status and money mean in the world of love?"

"And my limbs?" Peony bit her lip and looked away, having no answer. Anyone who'd ever found out about Cinder's hand and leg had all turned away in disgust and revulsion. It wasn't a prejudice, as far as Cinder knew she was the only one who had limbs like hers. They just marked her, in the eyes of the wizarding world, as something…_inhuman_, like a werewolf or vampire. Something to be shunned.

Once Adri had bought Pearl and Peony's glossy, leather-bound books and Cinder's tatty faded ones with doodles on half of the pages, she handed the new bags of shopping to (of course) Cinder, who shot her the most hateful glare she could muster.

"We're off to get all your new robes next." Adri announced with a tone of finality. Great, more shopping for Cinder to hold. At this rate, she won't be able to hold that new wand she needs after Chang Sacha broke hers last year at her old school: Hogwarts.

Adri clapped her hands. "Alright, let's get all your new robes now, and gloves for Cinder of course. We wouldn't want her to be bringing further shame on us because of her wretched hand."

Cinder huffed in annoyance.

The woman who owned the clothes shop, Violet Darla, smiled beautifully at the group as they entered with all of her perfect, white teeth.

"Good afternoon Linh-mei. Custom robes for Pear and Peony I assume? And second-hand robes for Cinder?" Darla asked in her lovely, musical voice. "Yes Violet-mei, thank you." Adri replied, "Cinder also needs new gloves, and do you have second-hand Artemisia robes in her size? She's switching schools this year." Darla clapped her hands in delight and her honey-coloured eyes sparkled. "Artemisia? Oh, how wonderful! You're going to love it there Cinder! My own daughter attends that school as well. Her name is Iko. Maybe you two will become friends! She's here now, in fact. Maybe I can introduce you to her!"

Darla usually treated Cinder decently, so, for once, she didn't comment on that statement.

Darla was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women Cinder had ever seen, with wavy chestnut brown locks tumbling down to her shoulders, those honey eyes, perfect dark skin and full curves. If Iko was even half as beautiful as her mother, then Cinder knew she wouldn't give her the time of the day. If Hogwarts had taught her anything, the more beautiful they are, the more they hate Cinder.

Darla ushered Cinder into the waiting area, promising that she'll introduce her to Iko as soon as Pearl and Peony have been measured. Cinder just nodded in reply and put down her bags and sat down on one of the waiting chairs.

Cinder tried not to be apprehensive as she waited for Iko to show. It would just make her fake hand glow brighter, and that would just make the meeting go even worse. To try to conceal her…_unique_ appendage, Cinder hid her hand behind her back. So long as Iko didn't ask about the golden glow being cast on her chair, everything should be fine.

The unmistakable sound of skipping reached Cinder's ears and she looked up. Her heart sank. Iko was the spitting image of her mother, except her eyes were less like honey and more like sunbursts, and her hair was blue and done up in hundreds of braids.

She waved happily at Cinder, smiling with all the friendliness in the wizarding world. Cinder waved back but didn't smile. Past experiences have taught her to be cautious when it comes to friendly girls.

"Hi, I'm Violet Iko! But you can just call me Iko. You're Cinder right?" Cinder nodded. "Great! You have a really cool name by the way." Iko's grin widened as she plopped herself down next to Cinder, who raised an eyebrow at the compliment. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it! So, my mom says that you're transferring to Artemisia, right? Why's that? Didn't you like your old school?" Cinder frowned. It's true, she hadn't been particularly happy at Hogwarts. She'd had no friends and was constantly being teased and bullied, but she at least knew the school. She'd attended it for five years and she knew all the teachers, which staircases moved around the most and where the best short-cuts were. She didn't know anything about Artemisia, just that it was cheaper and was the only wizarding school that accepted students past their first year.

"My stepmother transferred me because Artemisia is cheaper." Cinder replied finally. Iko frowned and Cinder could swear that her eyes changed colour, going from sunburst yellow to more of a dirty copper.

"But…I saw Linh Adri getting her other daughters fitted for Hogwarts, not Artemisia." Now it was Cinder's turn to frown. "How did you know that Adri is my stepmother?" Iko shrugged. "My mom told me."

"Adri's only sending me, not Pearl and Peony."

"But that doesn't make sense! Why is she only forcing you to completely restart and not her other daughters?"

Cinder couldn't help it. She snorted. "Because they are her _real_ daughters. Why else do you think I'm not being custom fitted for my Artemisia robes right now? I'm getting second-hand, same goes for this new pair of gloves I need."

"WHAT?"

Cinder recoiled in surprise as Iko suddenly jumped out of her seat, screaming in outrage. Her eyes had changed again, turning fiery red.

"THAT IS SO COMPLETELY AND HORRIBLY UNFAIR!"

Cinder squirmed awkwardly in her seat in the face of Iko's fury.

"WHY SHOULD YOU BE TREATED ANY LESS THAN PEARL OR PEONY? JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE HER STEPDAUGHTER DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE, LIKE, YOU'RE LESS IMPORTANT OR SOMETHING!"

Iko kept on screaming at the unfairness of Cinder's life and insulting Adri in every possible way. Cinder could only stare at her in shock. Every other girl who found out about the way Adri treated her would, best case scenario, say "Oh poor you!" in sickening, falsely sweet voices. The fact that Iko has actually become angry on Cinder's behalf…well, it was surprising to say the least. Cinder felt gratitude for the righteous girl blooming inside her chest and let a smile tug itself across her mouth.

Iko turned to Cinder, red eyes flashing, but paused. Her eyes turned back to dirty copper and she cocked her head, frowning at Cinder. "What's that glowing thing behind you?" The gratitude turned to panic.

Iko walked forward and pointed to the prominent glow behind Cinder's back. "It's glowing even brighter now."

Cinder tried desperately to shuffle around her fake hand to try and disguise the glow. If Iko found out that parts of her were made of pure magic… well, Cinder could say good-bye to the righteous anger from before.

"It's nothing," She mumbled, "just… it's nothing." Iko placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder, who tensed at the contact. "Hey, it's okay, you can tell me. I promise I won't make fun! Or tell your evil stepmother if that's what you're worried about."

Cinder sighed and turned away. She liked Iko, but they could never be friends. Not now that Iko has seen the glow cast off from her hand.

Iko's eyes had turned the same warm colour as her mothers. She folded her arms and pursed her lips at Cinder's stubbornness.

Suddenly, she brightened and snapped her fingers. "I've got it!" Cinder's eyes widened with fear that Iko might have figured out her secret.

"You tell me what that glowing thing is, and I'll tell you a secret of my own! I'll make it a really big one too, the biggest secret I have!"

Cinder blinked at Iko in surprise. She was willing to give away her supposed biggest secret to someone she'd only just met? No, no this had to be a trick.

Cinder folded her arms and jerked her chin at Iko. "You first."

Iko, for her part, smirked at Cinder's challenge and wagged a finger in front of her face. "Swear that you'll tell me what that glowing thing is if I tell you my biggest secret?" Cinder rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Iko grinned and then… her hair turned green. Cinder's eyes widened as Iko's skin went from dark to albino, her eyes turned bubble-gum pink and her canines grew so long that they jutted out from under her top lip.

"I'm a metamorphaguf." Iko said around her new fangs.

"That is a pretty big secret." Cinder admitted; eyes stretched to their absolute maximum size.

Iko's appearance turned back into the blue-haired look alike of her mother and she shrugged. "Yeah, normally, I love standing out and I'd totally parade my metamorphagus status to the whole world but… well, this one time, I totally lost control of my metamorphosising and accidentally grew myself fangs and claws and scales and I think maybe also horns? I was shunned for months afterward and I had to switch schools! Kinda like what you're doing now except my mom switched me because I desperately wanted to go. Anyway, I've made a load of great friends at Artemisia and I'm just… I guess I'm just scared that if they find out I'm a metamorphagus they'll shun me as well."

Cinder couldn't speak. Her mouth hung open with shock. Iko's reasons for hiding the fact that she was a metamorphagus were pretty much identical to the reasons Cinder hid her fake hand and leg!

Iko's expression suddenly dissolved into one of absolute terror and her eyes turned lime green. "You're not going to shun me now are you?" Cinder shook her head and Iko slumped with relief. "Oh thank Merlin…"

Cinder huffed a sigh. "Well… a deal's a deal." She tugged out her hand.

Iko's eyes widened and her jaw opened and closed like a fish as she stared at Cinder's glowing veins and shimmery skin. She reached out tentatively to touch it, letting her fingertips lightly rest on the unique appendage.

"Wha… how… why…?" The beginnings of questions stumbled out of Iko's mouth as she stared at the magical creation.

"My left leg is like this too."

The blue haired girl's head snapped up to stare at Cinder. "Your leg too?" Cinder just shrugged. "I lost my hand and leg in a car accident when I was ten. Some really talented witch or wizard managed to create magical versions of them. My parents had died in the crash so a man named Linh Garan adopted me. I never really got to know him though."

"Why's that?"

"He died not long after he adopted me."

Iko's mouth formed a silent "oh" and her eyes turned slate grey. "Letumosis?"

"Yep."

The two girls sat in silence for a bit. It's true, Cinder hadn't known her step-father for long but in the short time he'd been alive he'd treated her with far more kindness than Adri who had hated Cinder from the moment she saw her glowing hand. That hatred had only grown after Garan died, or at least become more obvious.

Iko turned her attention back to Cinder's hand and shook her head in amazement. "This is… it's…" Cinder waited. It's hideous? It's freaky? It's unnatural? She's heard them all.

Iko's eyes turned tangerine orange and she grinned at Cinder with excitement. "It's awesome!" Cinder stared at her in shock. Okay, so she hasn't heard that one.

Iko gripped Cinder's hand and started turning it this way and that. "Look at the way it glows! So magical and pretty! Does it have any special abilities? Like, can you cast spells with it?" Cinder shook her head, completely and utterly bewildered.

Iko raised her own hand and frowned in concentration. The skin turned silver, then gold, then back to silver, then back to dark as Iko groaned in frustration. "Dang it! I can't mimic it! Oh well, guess that's one way to tell it's the real you! Unless it shows up when someone drinks copycat potion to look like you."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Copycat potion?" Iko waved her hand nonchalantly as she replied, "Oh, it's real name is poly-something potion, but I just call it copycat potion, way easier to remember! It makes you look like someone else! Think your hand and leg would show up?" Cinder frowned down at her hand. "Don't know. Never really thought about it."

"Cinder!" Adri calls out sharply, dumping more shopping bags into Cinder's lap. "We're leaving now. We have to get that new wand you need after you so carelessly broke you last one. A witch should have more respect for her belongings!"

Cinder rolled her eyes and slowly got to her feet. Iko stood too, hands clasped in front of her, chin tilted upwards.

"Pardon me," she said, her voice oozing politeness and respect, "are you Linh Adri?"

"I am." Adri replied with a short sharp nod. Iko nodded back, still the personification of good manners and politeness, right before sticking out her tongue at Adri, blowing a loud raspberry, and flouncing off.

Adri stared after her in shock and Cinder fought back a chuckle. "That's Iko, Violet-mei's daughter." Adri's face twisted with disgust as she looked down at the still-sitting Cinder. "I see your outlandish ways have rubbed off on her." She turned away and started walking towards the exit, Pearl and Peony close behind her. "Now come! Let's get you your wand already."

Cinder didn't bother to look around the wand shop Adri had chosen, simply shuffling out of the pathway of any other entering customers and dumping the shopping bags once again. Only then did she notice it wasn't the same shop as the one her last wand had come from.

This shop didn't have the musty smell of dust like all the others. The wooden walls still shone, bereft of the darkness of age that came with most other shops, and the hundreds of boxes set into their alcoves were very neatly stacked, without the lopsidedness found in other shops due to the owners just not bothering so long as the wands were in the right place. The small bell on the desk lacked the typical fingerprint smudges and the open logbook was blank. In short, this shop was completely new.

Adri ringed the bell and waited impatiently for the shopkeeper to come. After about two minutes, she rang the bell again. This time, she was met with an irritated cry: "Merlin's beard, alright I'm coming!"

A very short old man with small glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and sharp blue eyes shuffled into view. He glared at Adri as he took his place behind the desk. "Alright, so which of you needs a wand?" Adri's expression soured and she gestured wordlessly to Cinder. The man peered at her through his glasses and Cinder supressed a shudder. It was like he was staring straight into her soul.

"I can't help but notice that she doesn't share that many characteristics with you. Does she take after her father?" Adri snorted. "Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. She isn't mine, my husband adopted her without consulting me."

"How inconsiderate of him." The man replied sarcastically.

He gave Cinder an impatient "come here" gesture and, scowling, she obliged. He pulled out a tape measure, which immediately flew into life, measuring all of Cinder's dimensions.

"My name is Dmitri Erland, but most people know me as Dr Erland for my work in the medical field," the man stated as the tape measure wrapped itself around Cinder's waist, "but letumosis kills so many people, and there being nothing I can do about it, I decided I would be more use as a wand maker, something I also studied along with medicine, though in much less depth. " He rested his elbow on his desk and cupped his chin with his hand, studying her with narrowed eyes. Finally, he said, "How old are you miss…?"

"Linh. Linh Cinder. I'm sixteen." Cinder replied.

His eyebrows shot up. "Sixteen? That's… quite late to be buying a wand."

"My old one broke." Cinder grumbled, glaring at the tape measure as it wrapped itself around her armpit.

"Did it now? Do you remember it's details by any chance? What it was made of, what its core was, facts like that?"

"It was apple and had a kneazle whisker core."

"Hmm, a substandard core but makes for quite a loyal wand. And it was apple you say? Fascinating. You can stop now." The last part of the sentence was directed at the tape measure, which flew back to its master, much to Cinder's relief. What could she say, things that measured her earlobe made her uncomfortable.

Dr Erland wandered into the aisles of wand boxes, frowning at the labels and running his fingers lightly over them. "So, I gather that that woman isn't your real mother."

"That's right." Cinder replied, smirking as Adri stiffened at being addressed as "that woman".

"Do you know who your real parents are by any chance?"

"They were muggles that died in a car crash."

"I see."

He pulled out a box and made his way back to her. "Willow, twelve inches, dragon heartstring, pliant. Give it a go."

Cinder had been dreading this. She'd gotten her first wand when she was eleven, after she had tried every other wand in the shop. The shopkeeper had reassured her again and again that they would find the right wand for her, but Cinder could tell that even they were growing uncertain.

She picked up the thin, wooden rod tentatively and waved it. Nothing happened.

Dr Erland frowned as she put the wand back into its box, though he didn't look so much disappointed as contemplative. Cinder got the feeling that he hadn't expected that wand to work at all and he had been testing her somehow. But for what?

He disappeared back into the shadows of the shelves and Cinder was left waiting again. She tapped her fingers idly against the desk top, wondering if this would be another test or an actual try at finding her the right wand.

When Dr Erland reappeared with a new box, he shot a glance down at her left hand and his eyebrows rose. Cinder glanced at it too and found to her horror that it was glowing faintly. She hurriedly hid it behind her back and tilted her chin up at the doctor, waiting for him to ask what it was, why she had it, if any of her other body parts were like that. Instead, he gestured impatiently toward the wand box. "Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to wave it or not?"

Rolling her eyes, Cinder obliged. Again, nothing happened.

Not even waiting for Cinder to return the wand to its box, Dr Erland went back into his dark labyrinth of shelves. His movements seemed different now, less calm and calculated and more hurried and even excited.

He kept on bringing her wands at a rapid pace, half the time not even waiting for her to wave them. And with each failed attempt his blue eyes grew brighter.

Finally, he came out of the shadows holding a box and smiling confidently. "I believe that this should work for you."

Cinder studied the box. Unlike all the other boxes (in this wand shop and every single other) it was made of polished wood instead of cardboard, and instead of a handwritten label it had an engraved piece of metal on one end: "CHERRYWOOD; 13 INCHES; DRAGON HEARSTRING"

She slid the wooden cover off and found the wand to be nestled in a soft bed of red felt. The wand itself, however, was not nearly as polished as its box. The wood was dull and smudged with small fingerprints and it even looked burned in some places.

Cinder picked it up. The wood felt warm in her hand. Her fingers slid over the worn patches, fitting into them like she'd made them herself. She waved the wand.

A rainbow of silver and gold cascaded out the tip in a sparkling shower, drenching the shop in joyous light.

Adri and Pearl stared at the remarkable display with their mouths hanging open whilst Peony jumped up and down and clapped with delight. Cinder just looked at the wand in shock.

It took several minutes for the light-show to stop, and Cinder couldn't help but think afterward that the wand had been waiting to show off like that for a very, very long time.

"Interesting…" Cinder glanced up at Dr Erland, blinking. For a few moments she'd forgotten he was there. He was smiling at her, stroking his chin softly. Something was sparkling in his eyes, but Cinder couldn't decipher what.

"Tell me," He said abruptly, taking a seat at his desk as he began to write something down, "what school are you attending Miss Linh?"

"I'm starting at Artemisia this year."

The quill Dr Erland had been writing with dropped limply out of his hand. Cinder realised with a shock that his face had gone pale. "Artemisia?"

"Yeah…" Cinder confirmed cautiously, "what about it?"

Dr Erland rang his hands and muttered something under his breath. Cinder narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Why is he so worried all of a sudden?

Finally, the old man took a deep breath and managed, "It's just… I've received a request from the headmistress of that particular academy asking for me to be the potions professor. I am quite adept at potions, goes with the territory of being a doctor. Seeing as you're going there, I might just take her up on that."

Cinder opened her mouth to question him further, but he wasn't listening anymore. He took the wand out of her hand and place it back in its fancy box. Cinder rubbed her hand. It felt empty without it.

"That'll be five galleons, please." Adri's jaw dropped. "Five galleons for a wand? That's ridiculous! Especially considering it's so old and clearly already been used-"

"All the more reason why it's so expensive." Dr Erland interjected firmly.

"What about if you sold it in a cardboard box instead of that wooden one?"

"That would do absolutely nothing for the price. Five galleons."

Adri's face turned sour, but she finally relented, reluctantly relinquishing the five large gold coins, which Dr Erland wasted no time in putting his cash register.

He put Cinder's new wand and its box into a small shopping bag and handed it to her. She took it wordlessly before heading back to gather up the rest of the bags. Adri cast Dr Erland one last glare before storming out of the shop, with Pearl and Peony trailing behind her. Cinder moved to follow them but froze when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

The hand turned out to be Dr Erland's. He fixed his intense, serious gaze on Cinder and she shuddered involuntarily.

"Be careful at Artemisia." He warned, "Be careful of your teachers, be careful of the students, but most of all, be careful of the headmistress."

**A/N: My first TLC fanfic! What do you think? Updates will happen once a week. I had a lot of fun writing Dr Erland and Peony ****. Why is Dr Erland so afraid of Cinder going to Artemisia? Who's the headmistress? All in good time my dear readers. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

The Hogwarts express whistled as it puffed steam into the air and Peony squirmed impatiently as Adri gave her a big hug and smothered her face with kisses.

"Ack! Mom, the train's leaving soon!" Peony mumbled, finally managing to squirm her way out of the hug. Adri cupped both her daughters' cheeks with her hands and smiled at them lovingly. "Now you girls be good, and remember, study hard!"

"Yes mom. Love you! Bye!"

Pearl and Peony gave their mother one last wave as they rushed onto the train. A few minutes later, they stuck their heads out the windows and continued to shout her goodbyes. Cinder waved and gave a small smile especially for Peony. Peony's own grin grew even wider at the sight. "Bye Cinder! Enjoy Artemisia!"

Cinder kept waving at her until the train was well out of sight. At that point, the smile dropped from Adri's face and she looked down at Cinder haughtily. "Your train will arrive in about half an hour. You can wait on a bench for that time. You'd better get good grades Cinder, since good grades means a good job and a good job means more money, money that I will need for when I'm older."

With that, the older witch turned on her heel and strode out of the platform, vanishing from view as she entered the ticket barrier. Cinder rolled her eyes and glared after her retreating back. "Yeah… I'm definitely going to spend my money on you." She growled after her sarcastically before trudging off to find a bench to sit on.

She had decided to try reading through her school books to pass the time, but found her gaze inevitably drifting to the long, thin wooden box that held her wand. Her strange, mysterious, ancient wand that had responded so dramatically to her. Not even her first wand had done that! It _had_ felt warm in her hand when Cinder picked it up for the first time, but not as much as her new one, and it had always been a little more… difficult when it came to casting spells with her old wand. Cinder had put it down to her just not having a talent for magic, but now she couldn't help but wonder if that wand had never been meant for her in the first place, and that it only agreed to be her partner in magic because it pitied her. But this wand… this wand felt different.

Setting her book aside, Cinder reached inside her trunk and pulled out the box. Opening it, she started to reach for the wand inside. Her hand stalled. She hesitated. It had seemed overly eager with that light show from last time and she definitely didn't want to attract attention like that again. So she stared at it, her fist clenching and unclenching just centimetres away from the thin wooden rod.

"Cinder!"

Cinder turned in surprise at the sound of her name being called to see Iko running over to her. She plonked herself down next to Cinder and shot her a wide grin, which Cinder met with a half-smile of her own. "Hey Iko."

Iko glanced down at Cinder's hands and wrinkled her nose distastefully. "Why are you wearing _those_ gloves?" Cinder shrugged as she looked at her plain, brown leather gloves. "To hide my hand?"

"You could at least do it with style!"

"Style is hardly a priority for me Iko."

"Clearly…" Iko's disgusted gaze moved from Cinder's gloves to her entire outfit, which consisted of a white tank top, baggy cargo pants, heavy black combat boots and messy ponytail, all of which were covered in filth of some kind.

Cinder just shrugged again. "My family lives in a muggle apartment block so we're supposed to keep magic usage to a bare minimum to avoid attracting attention. Consequently, we have a lot of muggle tech that needs fixing a lot, and I happen to be good at it so Adri makes me fix it if something goes wrong rather than pay some muggle technicians or mechanics. These clothes are just practical for the job."

Iko huffed and folder her arms, unsatisfied. "Well, you're not living with Adri anymore for the coming months so that excuse won't work!" She jabbed Cinder in the chest with one finger pointedly. "As soon as we get to Artemisia, you'll be receiving some much-needed lessons on fashion!"

"I can hardly wait." Cinder replied sarcastically.

Iko, apparently not picking up on Cinder's sarcasm, nodded with satisfaction, before her eyes suddenly brightened. "Hey! Is that your new wand?" she exclaimed, pointing at the open box. Cinder stared at it, blinking. In all honesty she'd forgotten it was there.

Iko clapped her hands with excitement and bounced up and down in her seat. "Well? Let's see it!" Cinder looked at her, then back at the wand, before sighing. Cautiously, hesitantly, she reached into the box and picked up the wand. She waited, but aside from growing warm in her palm, the wand did nothing.

Cinder breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she turned back to Iko. "My wand made a huge lightshow in the shop." She explained as she held the wand out to Iko.

Iko examined it from every angle, frowning at the fingerprints and burn marks on the wood. "This looks second hand. And the handle is so boring! Did Adri-?"

"No." Cinder cut her off before she could complete the question, "That's just the way the wandmaker gave it to me." Iko frowned, obviously not satisfied with said wandmaker's merchandise.

"Hey," Cinder reassured her quirky friend, placing a hand on her shoulder, "if it makes you feel better, Adri had to pay five galleons for it, and anyway it seems to work even better than my old one. And who needs a stylised handle anyway?"

"If you say so…" Iko trailed off, handing the wand back to Cinder.

"Excuse me." Cinder looked up as a voice she didn't recognise spoke. The voice turned out to belong to a boy, handsome and brown haired with a well-built figure and a shining black badge emblazoned with a "P" pinned to his chest. And a permanent scowl.

"I haven't seen you before. What school do you attend?" The boy's tone was blank and formal. "Artemisia." Cinder replied simply. The boy's scowl deepened. "Artemisia?"

Iko threw back her head and groaned. "Cinder, this is Liam Kinney. He goes to Artemisia too and he's in our year. He's also a complete jerk." Liam Kinney glared at the blue haired girl briefly before turning back to Cinder. "Please call me Kinney. I hope you enjoy your time at our school. Fair warning, Iko's an absolute gossip so don't go telling her any important secrets. They'll be common knowledge to everyone in the school by the end of the week."

Iko shot up from the bench, her eyes glowing fiery red like when she found out about how Adri treated Cinder. "I'm not that much of a gossip!" Kinney rolled his eyes. "Sure you aren't. Who was it that told everyone about Thorne's crush on Kate Fallow again?"

Iko's face contorted with rage and her fists clenched by her sides. Cinder's gaze flicked back and forth between the pair nervously, sure that she was about to witness a brawl, when a high-pitched whistle drew the attention of all three of them.

Cinder gasped. The Artemisia express was… well, for one thing, it was _blinding._ The train was made of some kind of shimmery opaque material that Cinder didn't recognise, and it reflected the light into her eyes so brightly, it felt like she was looking at the sun. It wasn't a steam-engine, like the Hogwarts express. It's sleek shape actually bore a closer resemblance to the bullet trains muggles used and that Cinder occasionally rode on.

Kinney squinted briefly against the brightness of the train before nodding curtly to Iko and Cinder and marching aboard. Iko glared at his retreating back. "Ugh, that insufferable, rude, arrogant…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath to calm herself, before puffing out her cheeks and letting it all out again.

She grinned at Cinder and tugged on her arm. "Come on, let's board before all the good seats are taken!" Iko gave Cinder just enough time to grab her wand and trunk before pulling her aboard.

The booths inside the Artemisia express were just as flashy as the train's exterior, with plush seats draped over with silk and even small tables that fold out from the armrests.

Iko dragged Cinder into the first empty booth she saw and quickly stuck her bulging trunk into the overhead storage before plopping onto one of the chairs. Cinder opted for the seat opposite her and yelped with surprise as she all but sank into the cushions.

Iko chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, the seats are really soft, but hey! They're comfy!"

"And life-threatening." Cinder grumbled, trying to pull herself free.

"So." Iko began, sounding unusually formal, "What do you want to be when you graduate?" Cinder blinked at the unexpected query. "Well… I'd like to be a metal-charmer, or work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office at the Ministry of Magic. I've always been good at making and fixing things, muggle and magic."

Iko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "A metal-charmer… what do they do?"

"They're the ones who imbue magic into certain devices, you know, like snitches."

Iko grinned at Cinder. "Cool! Maybe you can fix my sneakoscope for me sometime! It keeps going off for no reason."

Cinder nodded. "Okay, you're turn: what do you want to be?" Iko flicked her blue braids flippantly behind her shoulder. "Actress, no contest." Cinder frowned, a little unsure of Iko's career choice. "Are you sure? Metamorphagi usually have pretty good shots at becoming aurors…"

"They also have a pretty good shot at becoming actresses! Being able to change your face is really handy for making film adaptations of books and stuff."

A polite knocking at their door interrupted their conversation.

The boy who had knocked looked Asian, with black hair that hung just over his soft copper eyes. He had a badge like Kinney's pinned to his chest, except his was gold. He smiled at them through the window and Cinder recognised him just before Iko jumped up with excitement to open the door.

"Kai, hey! What are you doing here?" Iko chirped. He gestured past her into the booth. "I was wondering if I could join you? Everywhere else is full and the other prefects are usually kind of stoic on the first train ride."

Iko stepped aside to let him in and he carefully put his trunk and his owl cage in the overhead storage before taking a seat next to Cinder. He glanced at her and his eyes widened briefly. She squirmed a little under the force of his scrutiny. She could almost hear Peony's delighted squeal in her ears.

"I don't think I've seen you around before." He began, tilting his head, "Are you new?"

Before Cinder could reply, Iko piped up. "She is! Kai, this is Cinder Linh. Cinder, this is Kaito Royal."

"I know."

The words were out before she could stop them and she immediately felt heat rush to her cheeks. "I-I mean my younger sister has a gigantic crush on you and you're kinda the most famous person in the Commonwealth so… yeah, I know who you are."

Her face positively burning now, Cinder ducked her head and wondered if she might be able to get her wand (which she'd placed in its box beside her) and cast a shrinking spell on herself.

Kai laughed casually and Cinder felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease.

"So… you're new? Are you transferring?" Cinder nodded. "My stepmother transferred me from Hogwarts."

At the mention of Adri, Iko started to scowl and her eyes turned red. Sensing a tirade about to happen, Cinder kicked Iko sharply in the knee. Iko yelped and glowered at Cinder for a bit, but sat back and said nothing, though her eyes remained red.

Kai watched this exchange with a bewildered look in his eyes but shook it off when he noticed Cinder looking at him again.

"Well, you'll be pleased to know you're not the only one transferring." He reassured her with a smile, "I saw several other older kids back there who I'm pretty sure haven't been around before so, rest assured, you won't be the only new kid who isn't an eleven-year-old."

Cinder breathed a sigh of relief. She had actually been worried about that. She'd imagined herself to be shuffling along with a crowd of first years, feeling the stares of a thousand other students burning the back of her neck. It actually made her feel a lot better to know that she wouldn't be the only one.

Iko suddenly started gesturing wildly to Cinder's wand box. "Cinder, show Kai your wand! He's interested in ancient stuff like it."

"It's not ancient." Cinder muttered under her breath, but complied, opening the wand box and pulling it out.

Kai's eyebrows rose as he took in the blemishes on the wood. "Wow, this one's seen a rough life." Cinder snorted. "Believe it or not, it's brand new. I got it last week."

Kai's jaw dropped and Cinder smirked with amusement at his obvious shock. Catching her expression, he grinned and chuckled at himself.

"What's it made of?" He asked. Cinder glanced quickly at the box. "Cherry, with a dragon heartstring core."

"Cherry? Wow, I was hoping to get a cherry wand! They're said to possess some kind of mysterious power!" Kai looked at Cinder's wand with newfound awe before grinning. "Of course, I wouldn't give up my own wand for anything."

Cinder studied her wand in a new light. Mysterious power?

"Would you like to see mine?" Cinder's head snapped up at Kai's query. She nodded, and he tugged it out of his pocket. Cinder's eyes widened with amazement upon noticing that it had a carved wooden phoenix for a handle.

"It's reed, and the core is white river monster spine." Kai grinned at Cinder, looking almost bashful. "The wandmaker insisted on styling the handle. Believe me, I would have been fine with a regular handle like yours."

Iko snorted at this. "That makes two of you then. A wand's handle is the only part of it that doesn't do any magicky stuff so, in my view, it should be as personalized as possible! Just look at mine!"

Iko stood to reach her trunk and opened it, rifling through it briefly before tugging out her wand and holding it up proudly.

Cinder could only stare. The handle was swirling silver with a cut sapphire in the shape of a flower at the end. It was about half as intricate as Kai's, and twice as gaudy.

Iko gave her wand a quick flick, sending tiny kaleidoscopic sparks fluttering out of the tip. "While we're on the subject of wands, mine's made of pine wood. As for the core, it's a thunderbird tail feather." She frowned at the wand for a bit, looking almost accusatory. "The wand maker had said that it would be good for transfiguration, but I'm not seeing it."

Cinder sniggered at this, but quickly stopped when she caught Kai looking at her.

She had to admit, sitting next to him made her a bit uncomfortable. This boy was the son of one of the most powerful wizards in the world, both politically and magically. And judging from the Prefect's badge on his chest (and Peony's fangirling), he was clever and an overachiever as well. And she was just Cinder, the muggle-born adopted girl who had two fake limbs that thus far only two people haven't been disgusted by and below average grades in all her classes that involve spell-casting. She should've gone the entire school year without Kai even knowing she existed, yet here she was, chatting with him about wands.

Kai cleared his throat and Cinder glanced up at him. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing gloves?"

Cinder could feel her lungs contract as panic surged through her veins. The gloves. Her only way of keeping her hand a secret from the judging eyes of the outside world. And he was asking about them.

Cinder's brain immediately started whirling with possible explanations, none of them very plausible, when Iko suddenly jumped to her feet again and pointed to the door.

"Hey look, it's Thorne!" She exclaimed and opened the door to their booth, gesturing for the boy who'd just been passing them by to come in. He did, with a wink at Iko. "Sweet Circe Iko, if you want me so much you can just tell me." Iko grinned at him. "I'll keep it in mind Captain, but really I just wanted you to meet Cinder. She's transferring from Hogwarts this year."

Thorne's eyes came to rest on Cinder and he grinned charmingly with perfect teeth. She rolled her eyes at him.

He pushed his trunk and owl up into the overhead and rested his cat cage on his lap, though the blueish, lynx-like creature inside was decidedly _not_ a cat.

He held out his hand for Cinder to shake. "Captain Carswell Thorne, at your service. Most folks call me Thorne. Or Captain." He introduced himself with a wink of his blue eyes. Cinder rolled her eyes again but shook his hand anyway.

Beside her, Kai folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at the other boy. "You do realise that Jacin is Quidditch Captain this year, right?" Thorne waved the comment aside. "Yeah, but Captain Thorne sounds way cooler than Student Thorne. Or Captain Clay for that matter. Wouldn't you agree Cinder?"

Cinder regarded him with disinterest. "I agree that your head's way too big for your shoulders." Thorne barked with laughter at this, shaking the cage on his lap slightly and causing the creature inside to growl softly with annoyance.

Cinder frowned at the creature for a bit before pointing at it. "What is that?"

Thorne looked down at the cage fondly and gave it a pat. "This is my pet kneazle, Boots. My parents got him for me to keep me in line. His scolding does get a bit annoying at times but he's still a good pal." Boots purred and rubbed his head against the roof of his cage as he tried to get to Thorne's hand.

"So your kneazle's name is Boots…" Cinder murmured, committing the name to memory, "What's your owl's name?"

"Rampion." Thorne said simply, gesturing up at the great horned owl above him.

"My owl's name is Nainsi." Cinder jumped at the sound of Kai's voice before glancing up to look at the great grey in its cage.

"Nainsi huh?" She offered Kai a small smile. "It suits her." Kai beamed at the compliment.

"So." Thorne rested his hands behind his head and leaned back into his seat. "What were you guys talking about before I arrived and made all your days?"

"We were talking about our wands." Iko replied while Cinder pretended to gag. "And can you please tell these two that a wand's handle is meant to look unique?"

"You two, a wand's handle is meant to look unique." Thorne obediently told them. Kai rolled his eyes.

"Which is exactly why I hate mine so much." Thorne continued, wrinkling his nose with distaste as he reached into his pocket and produced his own wand. Its handle was carved to look like a thorny branch, though the space where Thorne's hand would grip it was bare of the pointed decorations.

"Nearly everyone in my family has a handle like this." He explained, still scowling at the decoration. But his grin returned as he added. "On the plus side though, this is made of dogwood, which is not very respectable or noble at all. Just the way I like it!"

Cinder smirked at this before asking, "What's the core?"

"Snallygaster heartstring I think. Not sure what that means, but I don't really care all that much so it's all good!"

Just then, a middle-aged woman knocked on the door of their booth. Kai opened it and stuck his head out.

"Would any of you kids like some snacks?" the woman asked, gesturing to the candy bars and boxes heaped onto her trolley.

Kai turned and smiled at Cinder, Iko and Thorne before pulling a bulging money bag out of his pocket. "We'll have some of everything."

Cinder bit off the head of her chocolate frog, tossing away the card since she didn't much care for them. Iko stuffed a pumpkin pasty into her face and Thorne bit into a liquorice wand and Kai sampled a bright green every flavour bean. He only just started to chew before viciously gagging, and his expression was strained as he finally swallowed the candy. "I thought it was sour apple." he gasped, "In reality I think it was caterpillar."

Cinder couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing at Kai's misfortune before picking out a bean for herself, popping it into her mouth and suppressing a sigh of relief when it turned out to be marshmallow.

She jutted her chin at Thorne and Iko. "You guys try one."

Thorne winked at her. "I never could say no to a pretty lady."

Before Cinder could even roll her eyes, he reached into the candy box and pulled out a golden bean. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed for a bit before grinning and proclaiming it to be honey.

Iko picked out a black one. "Hopefully this is treacle or liquorice or something." She muttered, frowning at the bean distrustfully. She chewed it and pulled a face. "It's not treacle. I'm pretty sure it's spider."

Everyone laughed at that.

Thorne suddenly clapped his hands, catching everyone's attention. "Now that Iko and Kai have both been unlucky enough to get the bad flavours, let's move on to more serious matters."

"You can be serious?" Cinder asked with a smirk. Thorne pretended to look offended. "Of course I can be serious! Honestly Cinder, you'd think you didn't know me at all!"

"Well, we did only meet twenty minutes ago."

"Wow, that long already? Anyway, since you're new and know literally nothing about Artemisia, I'm going to give you the crash course on the teachers. Sound good?" Cinder shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Thorne grinned and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Great! Now, the herbology teacher, Professor Benoit, is mostly okay but has some serious anger issues and is a bit loco." Thorne twirled a finger around his temple as he said this.

"I'll do you a favour and not tell Scarlet you said that." Kai deadpanned. Thorne breathed a sigh of relief and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks man. I'd rather not get beaten up by her this early in the year. Anyway, the DADA teacher, Professor Clay, is pretty cool and gives the least detentions out of all of the teachers. He's gives a lot of homework though so watch out for that. The astronomy teacher is Professor Park. I warn you, he is one sick dude! Nothing seems to make him happier than other people's suffering. I swear, he once threw a student of the school roof! Charms is taught by Professor Torin. Kai's his favourite student, just a heads up, and he's a real stickler for rules as well and has no sense of humour."

"You're just saying that because he gave you a detention for casting a bat bogey hex in class!" Kai cried out in defence for the charms teacher. Thorne ignored him.

"Flying is also taught my Professor Benoit, but she never flies with us because she's getting too old for it. History of Magic is taught by Professor Gertman Warning: he's as boring as my dad's business suit. Transfiguration is taught by Professor Mira-"

"Who's a dementor in disguise." Kai interrupted.

"Can't argue with that, but she's also the deputy headmistress and has a fair bit of influence. As for potions, we're getting a new teacher for that this year so I can tell you literally nothing about him. And that's the crash course!"

Kai held up a finger. "You forgot about the worst of all of them: Levana."

"What does she teach?" Cinder asked, hoping that this supposedly awful teacher wouldn't be teaching her one of her electives.

"Nothing, she's the principal and I'm pretty sure she practices dark magic in her spare time. She always wears a veil when she appears in public, but when she's talking to certain people she takes it off. Not that that makes any difference."

Cinder cocked her head. "Why's that?"

Kai didn't answer at first, instead he scowled at the doors, as if imagining Levana standing right there. When he finally replied, all he said was: "She's lunar."

Lunars were a race of wizards, human in every respect except they possessed a mysterious power, a power that let them control the thoughts and emotions of other people without needing a wand. They could make you stab yourself. They could make you want to poison your own mother. They could make you love them with every ounce of your being. But more than that, they can trick you into seeing them differently. They can make themselves look young and beautiful when in fact they are over ninety and covered in warts. They can make themselves look like a harmless old lady when they are actually a punk covered in tattoos ready to steal your belongings. They were an evil, lying, deceitful race. And one of them was Cinder's _headmistress?_

Dr Erland's warning echoed through her mind: _"Be careful at Artemisia. Be careful of your teachers, be careful of the students, but most of all, be careful of the headmistress." _

Now that she knew the headmistress was an evil lunar, Cinder could understand the warning.

**A/N: Chapter 2 is up and we've met Thorne and Kai! Plus some feathered and furry friends ;). Cinder has been warned about what to expect from Artemisia, but will it be enough to prepare her for her first real challenge: the sorting? Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder had only just finished changing into her robes when the train arrived at Artemisia. The school uniform consisted of a stiff, long-sleeved black button-up shirt with a black tie and a black sweater vest as well as a black skirt that went down to Cinder's ankles and black socks with black shoes and the robe was, yup, black. The only non-black thing she was wearing were her gloves, and they weren't part of the uniform so they hardly counted.

It was the stubborn black of the entire wardrobe that confused Cinder most of all, especially since Iko and Thorne's uniforms had golden vests over their black shirts, golden socks, golden stripes on their black ties and golden fabric on the insides of their robes. Even Iko's skirt had gold embroidery! Kai's looked fairly similar to Cinder's, except his shirt and socks were white. Looking down at her own black-on-black clothes, Cinder couldn't help but wonder if Adri had bought her the wrong uniform.

So, feeling even more self-conscious than before, Cinder stepped off the train and looked around the sea of students steadily spilling through the open doors, desperately searching for a completely black uniform. But everywhere she turned she was met with golden vests, silver ties and shimmering grey robes.

Cinder felt herself cringe with embarrassment as she shuffled along with the flood. Of course it would be her who'd have the wrong uniform. She hadn't even walked into the actual school yet and already she stuck out a like a sore thumb. Great, just great.

"Oh thank Merlin!"

Cinder turned instinctively to see who had squealed and was met with the sight of a short girl with ridiculously long blonde hair tied up in a braid hurrying towards her. But what caught Cinder's attention the most wasn't the girl's hair, or the fact that she was coming towards Cinder. It was her black-on-black uniform.

Cinder fought back a relieved smile at the sight, knowing now that she wouldn't be the only one in the school with a colourless wardrobe. She'd still stick out, just not quite as much.

The short girl stopped in front of Cinder and grabbed the sleeve of her robe, smiling with delight and relief when she saw that it was, in fact, totally and utterly black.

"I thought I was the only one with a completely black uniform! Everyone else's has some kind of colour mixed in and I was so scared that I had the wrong one! But you have it, so that must mean it's just a rare occurrence. Oh, thank Merlin and Circe and pretty much everyone else!"

The girl sighed with complete and utter relief before glancing down at her hand, which was still holding Cinder's sleeve, and gasped as if she forgot it was there before hurriedly taking it back. She stood there for a few moments, shoulders hunched and smiling awkwardly at Cinder, who just stared at her, not entirely sure of what to say.

Finally, she settled on sticking out her hand for the girl saying: "I'm Cinder." The girl's awkward smiled melted back into relief and she shook Cinder's hand eagerly. "Crescent. But, um, you can call me Cress." Cinder smiled back at her.

"So, Cress. I'm guessing you're new?"

Cress blushed and started playing with a few loose strands of hair. "Is it that obvious?"

"I mostly figured it out because that was me freaking out a few moments ago."

"You're new too?" Cinder couldn't tell if Cress was delighted or scared of the fact that she just met a fellow newbie.

"Yup, and since we're both new and we're also both the only ones as far as I can see who have completely black uniforms, I'm guessing it's a new kid thing."

Cress frowned for a moment, thinking on what Cinder just said before nodding. "Yeah, yeah that makes sense." She agreed.

Just then, a piercing whistle sounded through the air. The sound was so loud and sharp that Cinder and Cress both covered their ears and winced painfully. The whistle was quickly followed by an equally sharp voice.

"All new students this way please! All new students this way!"

Cinder noted with some puzzlement that Cress had gone pale and seemed to be trying to shrink away from the voice. Maybe she's just nervous about meeting all the other new students?

Trying to offer some moral support, Cinder took her hand and tried for a smile, though it probably looked more like a painful grimace. Nevertheless, Cress squeezed her hand tightly and allowed Cinder to pull her through all the other students, towards the sharp voice.

The voice turned out to belong to a beautiful woman with black hair that went all the way down to her waist, warm, honeyed skin and grey eyes. But though she smiled at all the new students in their black uniforms, Cinder never thought she'd seen so much coldness inside one person's eyes.

"Good evening new students. I am Sybil Mira, though you may call me Professor Mira. I am the deputy headmistress of Artemisia School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I will be your transfiguration teacher."

So this was Professor Mira. She had been nothing but friendly and polite so far, but already Cinder could see what Kai meant when he'd called her a dementor. Sybil seemed to suck all the warmth and happiness out of the world just by being in it.

Sybil gestured to a line of empty chariots, all made of the same shiny stuff as the train. "Two of you in each chariot please. Quickly now, so that we won't be late for your sorting."

Cress immediately looked up at Cinder, pleading with her large blue eyes. Cinder nodded and Cress visibly sagged with relief, causing her braid to start to pool onto the ground.

As Cinder led Cress over to the chariots, she decided to study the other newcomers.

Most of them were first-years, as was to be expected, but, just like Kai said, there were some who were way past that age, most of them burly-looking boys, all of whom looked to be in around their seventh year, except for one who was standing next to a particularly tall boy who might have been in Cinder's year, though that might just have been her eyes tricking her since the taller boy could have looked down on Sybil.

They each got into a chariot. Cress looked at the space where the horse should be curiously and glanced around as if expecting them to come trotting into view.

Sybil finally stepped into her own chariot and clapped her hands.

Immediately, all the chariots shot off the ground. Cinder and Cress grabbed frantically at the rails to keep themselves from falling out. A few kids did actually fall out, but the chariots just swooped back down and caught them before they could hit the ground.

The world became a blur as they sped off. Cress said something, but Cinder couldn't hear her over the sound of the wind in her ears. She shut her eyes as they began to water from the stinging air and settled for holding onto the chariot for dear life. A few of the other students were screaming.

When the chariots finally landed, it wasn't gentle. They bounced and rocked on the ground and Cinder almost bit her tongue from the rough halt. When she finally dared to open her eyes, she noticed Cress with her braid completely undone and her hand over her mouth with tears brimming in her eyes. She must have actually bit her tongue.

Looking around at the other chariots, Cinder couldn't help but notice that the other students weren't much better. They all had hands over their mouths from biting their tongues, were slumped over with a case of jelly legs or were just staring straight ahead of them and shaking on the spot.

The only one who was seemingly unaffected by the rough ride was Sybil, who elegantly stepped off her chariot and started marching away, gesturing for the students to follow her.

With some difficulty, Cinder pried her fingers loose from the chariot's rails and shakily stepped off, swearing to herself that she would never step in one of those death traps again for as long as she lived. Judging by Cress's pale face and how she could barely walk without her legs immediately giving way, she was of the same opinion.

Still marching ahead, Sybil gestured for the students again, this time with a command, "Come on, hurry up! We don't want to keep the headmistress waiting."

The students obediently started stumbling after her, and Cinder finally managed to lift her chin to look at Artemisia.

The school was a gigantic castle, like Hogwarts, but Hogwarts was charming in its medieval style and elegance. Artemisia wasn't charming and, though it was beautiful, it was also terrifying. It was made entirely of blinding white stone, and the pointed roofs of the towers and spires were made of the same shiny stuff as the train and the chariots. The main body was composed of a giant, hexagon shaped building about three stories high with two tall, thin towers protruding from the sides. There were five other towers connected to the main building with gilded bridges, each a different colour: one gold, one silver, one metallic grey, one black, and one that was made entirely of glass.

Cinder allowed herself a gulp at the oddly imposing sight and found herself wondering how the other students could stand to live here.

Sybil led all the new students to a set of great oak double doors. She turned around to face them and smiled thinly. "Behind these doors is the Great Hall. It is here that you will gather to eat with all your fellow students every meal time. Right now, you are about to be sorted into your houses. Once you have been sorted, you will sit at your house table and, after dinner, will follow your house prefects to your dormitories."

Having said all she was required to say, Sybil turned around once again and raised her hands in front of the doors. They opened slowly, groaning as the gap into the Great Hall slowly widened, revealing five long tables. The staff table was set against the far wall facing horizontally, and the other four were set vertically, each one seating over a hundred students. And all of them were staring at the new students. At _Cinder_.

She gulped and started to fidget with the hem of her left glove, sure that, in a room full of so many people scrutinizing her, one of them would see the odd glow of her hand.

She held her breath, waiting for someone to point at her and loudly ask about why she had such a weird hand. She waited like that for what felt like an eternity.

Only when Sybil started marching through the central aisle did Cinder finally dare to breath. The new students hurried to follow her mercilessly quick strides and, when Sybil finally stopped in front of a hunk of rough-cut rock, they all came to a clumsy, stumbling halt.

Cinder glanced up at the staff table, trying to see her new teachers. Her gaze alighted on the woman sitting at the centre of the table in a chair that looked suspiciously like a throne. A sheer veil covered her face entirely so Cinder could only see faint shadows of her eyes, nose and mouth. She couldn't even tell if the woman was smiling or not.

Sybil stepped up so she was standing next to the woman and gestured to her almost reverently.

"This is Levana Blackburn, headmistress to this prestigious academy. She sets the rules, and you must follow them to the letter, else be faced with punishment. Your teachers will punish any rule breaking as they see fit. The only constant will be a loss of house points. It is also entirely up to your teachers if your actions deserve your house to earn points. Now, your headmistress will explain to you the process of the sorting."

So this is Levana. The lunar headmistress who Dr Erland warned Cinder to avoid, yet here she was, with nothing but a table, a rock, and a bunch of students between them. Great.

Levana stood up in one fluid motion. Cinder could imagine a serene smile spread across her face.

"This stone you see before you is the Sorting Stone. Once you place your bare hand on it, the stone's material will change, sorting you into one of our four houses:"

Levana stretched out a hand over the Sorting Stone.

"Gold, for the confident, the brave and the rash."

The stone shuddered and its rocky exterior melted away, so it was now a gleaming hunk of soft gold.

"Silver, for the gentle, the quiet, and the kind."

The stone shuddered again and became silver.

"Titanium, for the resourceful, the innovative, and the clever."

The stone turned into a gleaming metal.

"And finally Regolith, for the resilient, the loyal, and the stubborn."

The stone became a rough, black substance before finally settling back into its original ordinary grey rock state.

Levana lowered her hand and looked down at the new students gathered before her. "Professor Mira will call out your names year group by year group. Once your name has been called, step up and place your hand on the Sorting Stone. Once you have been sorted, Professor Mira will alter your uniforms to match your house colour. If you are ever expelled, they will revert back to their completely black states, to symbolise how you no longer have a place in this school. The sorting begins now."

Sybil waited for Levana to settle back into her throne before pulling out a long list of names. "First years: James Charleston?"

Cinder watched as the boy made his way up to the Sorting Stone and placed his hand on top of it. It shuddered, slight ripples running along its surface, when it finally settled on gold. An enormous cheer rose up from the Gold table as Sybil showered the boy in golden sparks, changing his uniform so that it matched the ones worn by Thorne and Iko.

Cinder lost focus after that, watching in a daze as all the first years came up and were sorted to the accompanying cheers of their house table. Following them were the second years, then the thirds, the fourths, the fifths, until finally, though it felt like barely more than a minute…

"Sixth years! Jackson Wynn?"

One of the burlier boys from earlier came up and was sorted into Regolith. Cinder watched with little interest as Sybil changed his uniform so that it matched Kai's and he went over to the Regolith table.

Her heart had begun pounding and her anxiety restarted all over again. Soon, she will be walking towards that big rock, walking closer to the woman she had been expressly told to avoid.

"Crescent Darnel?"

Cress shot a fearful look at Cinder as she stepped up to the Sorting Stone. She was visibly shaking.

"Aces." Came Thorne's voice from the Gold table, "Is that all _hair?_"

A chorus of sniggering ran through the Great Hall and Cress ducked her head, cheeks flushing strawberry red with embarrassment. Cinder glared at the Gold table, vowing to give Thorne a good strong slap for that later.

Cress ended up being sorted into Silver and the cheers of her new house managed to drown out the sniggers. She couldn't seem to join them fast enough.

"Ze'ev Kesley?"

The tall boy from earlier started making his way forward. Cinder couldn't keep her eyes from widening. This kid was her age? He looked at least nineteen.

Apparently she wasn't the only one of that opinion, since the hall soon filled with surprised mutterings. Ze'ev hunched his shoulders and glanced around awkwardly at the attention. He was clearly leagues out of his comfort zone.

But as he looked back at the Sorting Stone, he squared his shoulders and reconstructed his expression so it was perfectly formal and blank. He marched forward in an oddly soldier-like manner and placed his hand firmly on the Stone. It sorted him into Regolith.

"Cinder Linh?"

Cinder took a deep breath and let it out again before stepping forward. It took all her effort to keep her gaze trained on the Sorting Stone. She found herself waiting once again for someone to shout out to the entire school about her fake hand and leg. But the hall remained silent as she finally reached the Stone. She reached out a hand to touch it.

"Miss Linh."

Cinder froze and glanced up at Sybil, heart in her throat. Sybil's smile was cruelly amused as she gestured to Cinder's hands. "You're supposed to touch the stone with your _bare_ hands."

Blood rushed to Cinder's face as she hurriedly turned away and whipped off her right glove. The other students laughed quietly at Cinder's mistake and she felt her cheeks darken even further.

Just wanting to get this over and done with, Cinder all but smashed her palm against the Stone. It shuddered, just like with everyone else. Ripples splayed across the surface and Cinder could swear her hand sunk into the stone a little, before it finally changed to a shiny metal. Titanium.

Cinder hurriedly pulled her glove back on as her new house cheered. As Sybil changed her uniform to a metallic colour, Cinder risked a glance at her new headmistress. Was it just her, or was Levana looking at her with a particular intensity? Probably just her.

As Cinder made her way to the Titanium table, she finally felt herself relax. This was her new school now. She had a house and friends. So long as she can keep her limbs hidden, she'll be fine.

**A/N: Oh, I wouldn't bet on that Cinder. So, that was the sorting! Did you like the process and the houses? And we've been formally introduced to Cress and sort-of introduced to Wolf. Don't worry all you Scarlet fans, she'll show up soon ;) . Next chapter will be the first one **_**not **_**centred on Cinder. Can you guess who will be the star? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Cress

Cress blearily opened her eyes as the morning bells tolled signalling for all the Artemisia students to get up. Her first reaction was to bury her face in her extra-squishy pillow and wrap herself even tighter in her cosy sheets, but she settled for a groan and reluctantly sat up in bed.

As a sixth-year student, Cress got her own room in the Silver tower. And Merlin's beard, what a room! The queen-sized bed had a canopy and silver embroidery was painstakingly sewed onto the sheets. A giant moon was painted onto the ceiling in such detail Cress could make out each individual crevasse. An ornate elm desk stood in one corner with a silver candle holder and there was a mahogany chair carved in the shape of a phoenix. Silver and white curtains hung from the floor to ceiling window and there was a very comfy looking armchair beside it with a small silver candle-holder for late-night reading. There was even an adjoining bathroom just for Cress! Yes, it was a very, _very_ nice room, but it made Cress uneasy. If there's one thing she's learnt in her sixteen years, it's that great beauty can more often than not hide something very ugly. Her guardian proved that.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Cress permitted herself a great yawn before going to open the curtains. It was a bit of a struggle, given that the curtains were tall and heavy and Cress herself was only about five feet tall, but she eventually managed it and couldn't supress the wonderous gasp that escaped her lips.

Her room overlooked a gorgeous sparkling lake that lay unnaturally, perfectly still. Fresh green grass completely surrounded the school and there was even a forest with the tallest trees Cress had ever seen.

Suddenly not feeling at all tired, Cress skipped to her wardrobe and brought out her school uniform. She threw it on as quickly as she could before digging through her trunk for a hairbrush. She dragged it roughly through her blonde locks until they finally hung straight down her back and started twisting them into an elaborate braid, tying it off with a silver ribbon for good measure. She dashed to the door and reached for the handle, ready to tear it open and practically race to the Great Hall for breakfast, but hesitated.

The words of that boy from last night still echoed in her mind: _"Aces, is that all hair?"_ Cress knew her hair was long. It had been years since the opportunity had presented itself to cut it, and it had become something of a security blanket to Cress in the meantime. But if it was really that strange…

_Stop that,_ Cress told herself, _it's just hair! _"I'm the new Minister of Magic," Cress whispered to herself, "and I'm going to officially receive my title."

Holding the fantasy firmly in her mind, Cress set her jaw and opened the door.

As Cress stepped into the Great Hall, she was hit with all the most delicious breakfast smells she'd ever experienced. Bacon, pancakes, sausages… her mouth began to water at the thought of eating it all.

Cress's mood only improved when she noticed Cinder crossing the hall to the Gold table. She ran over to say hello, but froze in her tracks as Cinder gave a firm slap to a Gold boy.

The boy immediately cried out in pain and a red-haired girl sitting next to him sniggered.

"Aces Cinder, what was that for?"  
"That dumb comment from last night! Didn't you even stop to think about how mortified you made that girl?"

A grateful smile tugged itself along Cress's face as Cinder scolded the boy. She'd been worried that Cinder was only being nice to her at the sorting because Cress had been the first new student she'd met. But watching her defend Cress like this… it made her hope that she might actually have made a friend. The thought filled Cress's heart with delight. Other than her pet owl, she'd never had a real friend before. It was even better than she imagined!

"What dumb comment? What girl?"

The red-haired girl snorted and gave a horrible imitation of his voice. ""Is that all hair?""

"Come on, it was practically touching the floor! That's just ridiculously long!"

Ridiculously long? Did it really look that weird?

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Cress quickly started to make her way to the silver table which, to Cress's dismay, was on the side of the Gold table Cinder and the other two students were talking on.

Trying to be somehow fast and quiet at the same time, Cress walked behind the chatting students with her head down and her shoulders bunched up. She was a professional assassin, and she was sneaking past the palace guards to get to her target.

"Ugh, how can you be so clueless!"

The red-haired girl abruptly threw her head back in exasperation at the boy. Unfortunately, that meant she could see Cress trying to sneak past them.

Cress waved at the girl and tried for a smile, though it probably looked more like a pained grimace, and prayed to Merlin that the girl wouldn't recognise her. No such luck.

The girl straightened and tugged on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, she's right here. Now's a good time to apologise."

Cinder turned and smiled at Cress, who managed to make her own grin a bit more natural in response. The boy turned as well, allowing Cress to see his face for the first time and… Merlin's beard.

The boy was _gorgeous!_ His hair was brown and perfectly tousled, and his bright blue eyes sparkled with mischief. His muscular arms rested comfortably on the table and he'd probably have his feet up there too if the benches came with back-rests.

The boy grinned at Cress and gave her a quick salute.

"Hey. Sorry about the comment from last night."

"I-it's fine." Cress stuttered in response. She noticed that her cheeks felt unusually warm.

The boy held out his hand for her to shake and Cress complied. "The name's Carswell Thorne, but you can call me Thorne. Or Captain, whichever you prefer."

"Just so you know," the red-haired girl butted in, "he's not really a captain of anything, he just thinks it sounds cool." She grinned at Cress. "I'm Scarlet by the way."

"Like the hair?" Cress blurted. This comment was met by a light-hearted chuckle and an eye-roll. "Oh yeah, I haven't heard that before"

Noticing Thorne and Scarlet looking at her expectantly, Cress realised with a jolt that they were waiting for her to introduce herself. 

"Umm, I'm Crescent-err-Cress. Pleasure to meet you!"

Having successfully stumbled out the words, Cress hastily hurried to the Silver table to secure herself a seat. She'd just finished helping herself to some bacon when a loud screech drew her attention to the ceiling.

Owls were fluttering in through the Great Hall's open windows. Cress's lips parted with awe at the sheer number and variety of them. Snowy owls, great greys, screech owls, great horned owls, barn owls and several others Cress couldn't even name.

One tiny brown owl struggling with the weight of its letter, which was huge by comparison, flew over to Cress, only narrowly missing landing in her breakfast.

Grinning, Cress reached up a finger to stroke the little owl. "Hey Little Cress. What've you got for me?"

Carefully untying the letter from her owl's leg, Cress fed it a few Cheery-Owls and watched it fly off before opening the letter, which turned out to be her schedule. Cress felt a small spark of excitement that her first lesson was charms with Gold. Cress was good at charms. She hardly ever mispronounced an incantation and her nimble wrists had no trouble with the wand-movements. And maybe Thorne will be there as well…

Feeling a blush start to heat her cheeks, Cress hurriedly shover her bacon into her mouth and started buttering a piece of toast.

With the help of a prefect, Cress managed to find her charms class relatively easily, so she could breathe a sigh of relief that she wasn't late.

Professor Torin directed her to a seat in the second row and she started organising her books as she waited for the lesson to begin. Once she'd finished, Cress looked around hopefully, trying to catch a glimpse of Thorne or Scarlet. She smiled with relief when she finally did catch sight of the red-head, but her back was to Cress and she didn't have the nerve to tap her on the shoulder. As for Thorne, he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had an elective?

"Are you looking for someone?"

Cress almost jumped right out of her seat at the sound of the voice behind her. It was followed with a tinkling laugh.

Face burning, Cress turned in her seat to see who had spoken and… froze. She was face-to-face with the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen! She was a Silver, like Cress, with glossy dark corkscrew-curls of hair that hung just below her shoulders, drawing attention to her long neck and framing her face perfectly. She had high cheekbones and golden-brown eyes scattered mesmerizingly with emerald flecks and with smaller grey flecks around her pupils. Her full-lips were bright red and curled into a friendly and slightly amused smile. But most striking of all about the girl were her scars: three perfectly straight uniform scars that ran down from her right eye like tears, their pale appearance standing out against the girl's dark skin. But rather than detract from her beauty, the scars only seemed to… enhance it somehow.

The girl blinked and tilted her head, and only then did Cress remember that she had been asked a question.

"Oh! Uh, yes, I am actually. I met two Golds this morning and I was looking for some familiar faces."

The beautiful girl's face lit up with interest and excitement. "Ah, so you're new then?" At Cress's nod, the girl squealed quietly with delight and extended a hand for her to shake. "I'm Winter. I hope that we will get to become great friends!"

"Me too." Cress replied with a shy smile. Winter's smile grew wider and she looked as though she could have screamed in delight.

"Hey Crazy!"

Cress and Winter turned to see Scarlet grinning at them. "Try not to drag Cress into any of your insane expeditions okay? Jacin and I get in enough trouble for them and I doubt Cress wants to be saddled with a lifetime of detentions in her first year."

Winter's eyes twinkled and she bowed her head. "I will do my best Scarlet-friend, though I'm afraid I cannot make any promises."

"Alright class, quiet please." Professor Torin called out. Cress dutifully turned in her seat to face the front, determined to give the teacher her full attention.

"I'll be taking the roll now. For all our old students, I'd like to remind you that we have some new people in our class today and they may have learnt at a different pace to you or not covered the same material, so if you find that they don't know something which to you seems basic, please refrain from calling them a dumb flobberworm. Jacob Davies?"  
"Present!"

"Susan Brown?"  
"Present!"

"Winter Hayle-Blackburn?"

"Present."

"Scarlet Benoit?"  
"Bonjour!"

"This isn't Beauxbatons Miss Benoit, please refrain from speaking French in class. Crescent Darnel?"

At the sound of her name, Cress raised her hand and quietly said, "Here." Winter tapped her on the shoulder and whispered. "Don't be shy. We are not werewolves and we will not bite you." Cress cast Winter an odd look over her shoulder, but the other girl just smiled kindly at her. Wait, had Winter been serious?

Professor Torin opened his mouth to call out the next name when the door suddenly flew open with a bang and a boy charged in. Cress stiffened and her face heated up. It was Thorne.

Professor Torin frowned at the panting Gold standing in the middle of the classroom. "You're late." Thorne just grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Has my name been called yet?"

The teacher just glared at him, saying nothing. "Then I'm not late!"

Having won the argument, Thorne made his way to the rows of seats with a certain swagger and plonked himself down in his chair. Which happened to be the one next to Cress.

Professor Torin sighed and wrote something down on the roll. "Since it's the first day of school, I'll let you off this time Thorne, but next time is an automatic detention, whether your name's been called or not!"

As Professor Torin finished the roll, Cress couldn't help stealing glances at Thorne. He had his feet on the desk and his hands resting behind his head. He hadn't bothered to organise his books when he arrived, settling for just dumping them on the desk in a messy heap. He was disorganised, rebellious, unashamed and confident, in short, everything Cress wasn't. And she admired him hugely for it.

"Alright class," Cress snapped her attention hurriedly back to Professor Torin as he addressed them. "Our first charms lesson of the year will be turning vinegar into wine. Please note, that although this spell does transform something, it isn't classified as a transfiguration spell. Now, I know we've all just got back from the holidays and are still getting used to the new school routine, so for this lesson we'll just be studying the theory and process of the charm. You will practice the charm in a practical sense as homework. You may begin."

Cress obediently opened her spell book to the page on turning vinegar into wine and started reading, even though she already knew the incantation, wand-movement, theory and even history of the spell by heart.

Artemisia was the first wizarding school Cress had ever attended, and her home-schooling had been rudimentary at best, where her guardian mostly just wrote some stuff on a chalkboard and snapped at Cress to copy it down. Ironically, her guardian was an actual teacher and seemed to put a lot more effort into her paying job than Cress's education. But her guardian had supplied her with plenty of magic books that offered varying grades of difficulty. Some of them even contained snippets of Dark Magic, which had disturbed Cress greatly upon realising it. Those books had become Cress's windows to the outside world, a glimpse into what it would really mean to be a witch. She'd poured over them tirelessly, especially when she found out that she would be attending a proper wizarding school at last, reviewing OWL level spells that she'd learnt at the age of twelve and even going so far as to learn a few NEWT spells. So turning vinegar into wine? She could do that before she turned thirteen.

"Hey long-hair! Mind keeping your mouth shut? Some of us want to get some work done!"

Cress cringed away from the glaring Gold boy in front of her who had spoken and fingered her braid self-consciously. She knew exactly why he was complaining. She'd been singing again. It was a habit she'd fallen into over the years. Singing while she studied (or did anything really) helped her relax into the action. She's done it so much, that she had a tendency to do it without realising, such as now.

"Sorry." She mumbled quietly. The boy just snorted and turned back to his book. That probably would have been the end of it, if Thorne hadn't reached out a hand and tapped him on the shoulder.

The boy's head snapped around to face them again. "What?" he snarled, annoyance dripping from his voice.

Cress gulped in the face of his anger, but Thorne, unfazed, simply frowned at him. "Yeesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Get to the point Carswell." The boy spat.

Thorne leaned forward on his desk and matched the boy's glare with one of his own. "First off, her name isn't "long-hair", it's Cress. Second of all, there's no need to be a jerk to her just because she likes singing."

"What, I'm not entitled to be annoyed that she's interrupting my work?"

"What you're not entitled to be is a complete moron to her! But if all you want is peace and quiet…" Thorne's hand strayed to his desk to pick up his wand, "I'll be more than happy to remove the biggest noise-maker in the room."

Cress felt her throat tighten with fear. Was Thorne going to cast a spell on her?

But instead of pointing the wand at her, Thorne aimed his wand squarely at the boy. "_Langlock."_

The boy's expression turned startled and he opened his mouth, but all that came out was a bunch of weird incoherent whines.

Thorne put his wand back onto the surface of the desk and grinned at Cress. "That jinx sticks its victim's tongue to the roof of their mouth. You can sing all you want now."

Cress stared at him, her eyes wide and, she knew, filled with awe and gratitude.

"Thank you." She breathed, "But… wouldn't it disturb your work."

Thorne chuckled. "Trust me, that guy was the only one who found your singing annoying. You have a beautiful voice."

He smiled at Cress one last time before going back to doodling on the pages of his textbook. Cress tried to redirect her focus to her work, but all she could think about was the blue-eyed boy who had just defended her and told her he liked her voice. The boy who, Cress realised, was a hero.

**A/N: No, the Gold boy wasn't Jacin, just thought I'd clarify that real quick. Other than that, Cress was in the spotlight! And not only that, but we met Winter, Scarlet and even Torin to boot! What did you guys think of the Artemisia dorms? Can you spot what kind of ornament I left out? But most of all, what did you guys think of Cresswell meeting? Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Winter

Winter stared into her teacup and at the dark dregs of tea sitting at the bottom. They've done this task many times before, but this was just some revision to "ease them all into the new school year". Winter supposed that was a good idea, but divination was just an easy subject in general, so it wasn't really necessary. Since it was such a difficult practice, usually even the teachers can't tell when the students were just making the stuff up. Which they did. All the time.

Winter looked up and beamed at her partner sitting across from her on a three-legged stool. Winter had gone for a pouf herself, but Jacin hated how squishy they were, so he went for the nice, sturdy stool.

His ice-blue eyes were narrowed in concentration, or annoyance, Winter couldn't tell, as he peered into his own teacup. A strand of blond hair had come out of his ponytail and was now hanging across his face, though he didn't brush it away.

Winter tapped his wrist, forcing him to turn his attention to her. She held out the teacup she'd been holding. "Ready to hear your future?"

Jacin snorted. "I already know my future: "waste an hour of my life doing something stupid and useless". Oh, wait, that's right now."

"If you hate divination so much why did you choose it in your electives?" Winter teasingly replied. Jacin glared at her and she giggled.

Winter knew full well why Jacin had picked divination, despite his obvious distaste for it, and honestly it made her feel a bit guilty.

Jacin had picked all the same subjects as Winter in order to be with her and protect her at all times. Protect her from what? Two things, mostly: leering boys and herself.

Winter thrust the teacup, which Jacin had drunken out of earlier, under his nose and he sighed. "Alright Trouble, what's my future?"

Winter grinned at his use of the nickname and glanced down at the dregs again.

"You have an acorn, so that means unexpected gold, and I think that thing there is a skull, so that means you have danger in your path. So… you're going to find some cursed gold!"

Winter tilted her chin at Jacin, proud of her prediction. She expected him to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded, instead, he frowned out the window of the divination classroom. "In this school, I wouldn't be surprised if I did."

Winter shifted uncomfortably on her pouf. She knew better than anyone about the darkness that lurked in the shadows of Artemisia's shining beauty. She'd seen students fall screaming to their deaths from the astronomy tower, strangled to death by the devil's snare in the greenhouses, and plucked from the ground and carried deep into the dark reaches of the forest by the trees themselves. No one else had seen these things, but Winter knew they were real, as clearly as she knew the classroom she was sitting in was real, which, admittedly, wasn't very clearly at all. Winter had struggled to discern the real from the fake ever since she was thirteen. The only thing she knew was real was the blond boy sitting across from her.

Shaking away her dark thoughts, Winter nudged Jacin in the arm. "And me? What's in my future?"

Jacin threw a disinterested glance into the cup. "You're going to get in trouble by the time the next lesson rolls around and drag me into it too somehow."

Winter grins up at him. "It's not my fault you keep taking the blame for me."

"It's your fault for getting into situations where I have to take the blame for you."

"What do you expect? There's a reason that Scarlet-friend calls me "Crazy"."

As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Winter curses herself, but the damage is done. The humorous light that had been brewing in Jacin's eyes fades away and his face tightens into a scowl.

He gripped the cup that told Winter's future tightly and glared into it. "Let's just… focus on the lesson."

Heart sinking, Winter looked back into her cup as well, though her heart was no longer in the task. She'd been _so close_, she could sense it, _so close_ to seeing Jacin's smile, the sunrise smile that she loved more than anything except, well, Jacin himself.

Winter wasn't sure exactly when her feelings for him as a friend grew into something so much bigger, more special. She just remembered realising that she loved him, had always loved him as far as she could tell. She loved his sunrise smile, she loved his jokes, she loved how protective he was of her, sometimes she liked to fantasize that his protective nature was because he loved her too, but she feared it was more because he was just a best friend doing what best friends do.

Winter closed her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. When she opened them again, she frowned in confusion. Had the dregs of tea always been red?

The red dregs started bubbling and spreading along the bottom of the cup, steadily filling it with red liquid. Winter realised with horror that it was blood. The cup was filling with blood.

She dimly heard someone speaking, though she couldn't tell who. The blood was at the cup's brim now. Any more and it would overflow.

And it did overflow, spilling into Winter's lap, staining her uniform and pooling onto the floor. She felt herself begin to shake uncontrollably as the blood continued to spread, lapping at Jacin's shoes and staining her pouf. The cup slipped from her now numb fingers and smashed to the floor, adding its red contents to the growing flood in the divination classroom. Someone was shouting, but Winter couldn't hear what they were saying. She tucked her knees up to her chest, trying to escape the blood, but she knew it was only a matter of time before it rose so to submerge her pouf. She couldn't take it anymore. She opened her mouth and screamed.

A pair of hands grip her shoulders tightly and a voice cuts through Winter's terror of the blood that will surely drown her. "Winter! Winter calm down! Focus on my voice. It's not real. Winter, it's not real!"

_It's not real,_ Winter told herself, _it's not real, it's not real, it's not real._ But it felt real. Oh, so real.

Winter squeezed her eyes shut, as tight as they would go. She took a few shuddering breaths, focusing on Jacin's hand's gripping her shoulders and on his voice insisting that none of it was real, that she was fine.

When she hesitantly reopened her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief that the blood was gone, her uniform wasn't stained, Jacin's feet were no longer submerged. The only remnant of the vision was the smashed teacup on the floor.

Winter lifted her gaze up to meet Jacin's eyes, which were narrowed with worry and concern. "The teacup was bleeding." She murmured softly.

"Miss Blackburn!"

Winter's head snapped around to see the teacher crouching next to her. "Are you alright? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Winter opened her mouth to reply that she was perfectly fine, but Jacin butted in. "Yes, she does need to go to the infirmary. I can take her."

The teacher nodded with satisfaction and turned to head back to her desk. Jacin gently tugged on Winter's arm and she obediently let him pull her towards the door.

Once they were safely out of the classroom, Winter gave Jacin a small grin. "You were just trying to get out of divination, weren't you?"

Jacin rolled his eyes but smirked back at her all the same. "What, you don't want the chocolate the nurse will give you?"

"Just try and keep me away from it!" Winter laughed and sprinted ahead. She'd gotten better at recovering from the hallucinations over the years, though they still plagued her horribly. They had plagued her ever since she was thirteen and she saw her father, a teacher in this very school, dead. Murdered. No one had ever found out who, or what, had done it.

**A/N: And we've finally met Jacin! That's the entire gang! We've finally made it! Not only that, but we've learned about Winter's love for Jacin and her hallucinations in this story. Our next star will be… Scarlet! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Scarlet**

Scarlet stood casually with her arms folded as she listened to the old woman teaching the class, the sunlight freely pouring through the greenhouse walls turning her grey hair into a more burnished silver.

"Alright you lot, listen closely." Said Professor Benoit briskly, "This is the last day of your first week back and the last day I will give you to remember all you have learned about herbology in the past few years. Today, we will be brushing up on something you all should have learnt in your second or third years: mandrakes. Can anyone tell me what we use mandrakes for?"

Several hands, including Scarlet's rose up. Professor Benoit (or, as Scarlet preferred to call her, grandmère) smiled fondly at her for a few moments before calling on her.

"They're used to cure petrification." Scarlet answered, a hint of pride leaking into her voice.

"Correct, thank you Miss Benoit. Now, can anyone tell me what makes mandrakes so dangerous? Mr Clay?"

"The cry of a grown mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," Jacin answered, "but the cry of a baby only knocks the listener out for several hours."

"Excellent Mr Clay! Now, let's get to it! Soon, I'll be putting you into partners. I'd like to stress the point that these partnerships are non-negotiable, and I will ignore any complaints. Once you are in your partners, go and grab a pair of earmuffs to protect you from the mandrakes' cries. As Mr Clay has already mentioned, the cry of an adult mandrake will kill you so, just in case you don't put your earmuffs on properly, we will be working with babies. Once your earmuffs are on, good and snug, you and your partner will pick two pots: one with a mandrake inside, and one without."

As she said this, Professor Benoit, gestured to the pots set out on the long table the students were gathered around, about half of which had what looked like leafy saplings growing out of them.

"Once you've picked your pot, wait for me to give you a demonstration of the repotting activity I'll have you perform before doing it yourself. One of you will pull the mandrake out of its pot and shove it into the next. Note, I said _shove_, not _lower_. The mandrake won't like being pulled out of its pot, but it also won't like being put into a different one so some force will be required. Once that's done, the other person will have to quickly bury the mandrake in soil. Make sure the mandrake is completely covered so that they will stay nice and warm inside their pot. If there's time, we will repeat the exercise, but you and your partner will have to swap jobs. Everybody clear?"

There was a chorus of yesses, and Professor Benoit nodded with satisfaction before assigning the partners. Scarlet smiled pityingly at Jacin, who wound up partnered up with Thorne. Even Scarlet, who was friends with Thorne, had trouble putting up with him. She could only imagine what it must be like for Jacin, who couldn't even stand Thorne.

"Miss Benoit!"

Scarlet switched her attention back to her grandmother as her name was called.

"You will work with Mr Kesley today."

Scarlet looked at the tall Regolith boy her grandmother was pointing to. Scarlet had seen him before in a few of her other classes but had never talked to him. She didn't even know his name.

He didn't seem to be aware that he'd just been partnered up, he was too busy studying the greenhouse, wide-eyed with a wonder that seemed almost childlike.

Professor Benoit leaned down so she was level with Scarlet's ear and whispered, "Try and be patient with him Scar, I don't think he's studied herbology before in his life. He seems eager to learn though and is a hard worker. I just want you to help him along with this task, alright?"

"Oui Grandmère." Scarlet agreed with a quick nod. Then she went over to meet her new partner.

At first, she just stood next to him, waiting for him to notice her, but he was too busy studying a wiggentree as if it was a strange animal he'd never seen before. The thought made Scarlet smile with amusement.

She reached up and tapped him on the shoulder, jolting him out of his trance and causing him to hastily turn towards her.

The first thing she noticed were his eyes. They were a brilliant, shining green, like emeralds. They almost seemed to glow in the sunlight of the greenhouse.

The second thing she noticed were the scars. They ran across his face in random, pale lines across his olive-toned skin, hinting at past injuries. Judging from how many there were, this guy was either very accident prone (which definitely wouldn't serve him well in the Artemisia greenhouses) or got into a lot of fights. Scarlet found herself leaning towards the latter.

The third thing she noticed was that she was staring.

Clearing her throat, Scarlet stuck out her hand and grinned up at her partner, who up close she could now see was a full head taller than her.

"Hey, I'm Scarlet. Sorry, I don't know your name."

He glanced down at her hand briefly, looking slightly caught off guard, before grasping it firmly.

"Ze'ev, but you can call me Wolf. Everyone else does."

"Well, so long as you're not the Big Bad kind of wolf, we'll get along fine."

He looked a bit confused at this, like he'd never heard a joke before.

Deciding not to comment, Scarlet strode purposefully to her grandmère's desk to pick out a pair of earmuffs, gesturing for Wolf to follow her.

"So, have you done this before?" Scarlet asked him as he picked up a pair.

"No. My old school wasn't big on herbology. I'd never even heard of a mandrake before today."

A small chuckle escaped Scarlet's lips before she could swallow it down and Wolf flushed with embarrassment. Trying desperately to squash the amused grin threatening to spread across her face, she patted him on the arm in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture.

"Don't worry, you'll catch up soon enough. You already know what a mandrake is. By next week, you'll be able to tell the difference between dittany and poison ivy."

Wolf's mouth twitched into something that vaguely resembled a smile. "The funny thing is dittany is probably the one plant I know about."

Scarlet spread her hands. "There you go! Trust me, by the end of the semester you'll practically be an expert in herbology. Just wait."

Flashing Wolf one last grin, she fit the earmuffs over her ears, effectively shutting out all noise, and went to pick out some pots.

During the demonstration, Scarlet found herself more focused on not glancing at her very attentive partner (and not laughing at him when he jumped at the sight of the mandrake once it was pulled free from its pot) than on the actual lesson. She grew mandrakes on the farm with her grandmère anyway, so she didn't really need to watch, and she had never seen a student so fascinated with, well, anything! Not even Winter in care of magical creatures looked this wonderous and fascinated. And with herbology of all subjects? That was even rarer!

When Professor Benoit gestured for the students to begin the task, Scarlet pointed at Wolf and mimed pulling the mandrake out of its pot. _Do you want to tug it out first?_ Wolf shook his head, casting an uneasy glance at the mandrake's leaves protruding from the soil, as if he was expecting the ugly baby plant to jump out of the pot and start screaming any second. Scarlet nodded in understanding before grasping the leaf stems in both hands and tugging sharply upwards. Wolf didn't jump this time (to Scarlet's slight disappointment) and simply dug a hole into the soil of the second pot before nudging it towards Scarlet. She shoved the mandrake almost brutally into the soil and Wolf quickly began filling up the hole, bathing the plant in soil. Only when just the quivering stems could be seen did Scarlet raise her hand to attract the teacher's attention.

Professor Benoit examined the repotted plant from every angle, even sticking her fingers into the soil at the base of the stems to check that it was deep enough. Once her examination was complete, she grinned at both Scarlet and Wolf, giving them two thumbs up before heading back to the front of the class.

Scarlet grinned at her partner, who smiled hesitantly back. She found herself beginning to warm to this boy.

A couple minutes later, Professor Benoit went around tapping the students on the shoulders and miming taking off a pair of earmuffs to signal that everyone had finished the task and they were in no danger of being knocked out. Once everyone could hear again, she addressed the class.

"You all performed admirably, considering you've had several months to forget this technique. There were, of course, a few errors in the process. Many of you didn't pack in the soil around the mandrake snuggly enough which could have led to them catching a cold, and a few of you put the mandrake into its pot lopsided. I trust I don't have to explain all the reasons why _that _is a bad idea." Professor Benoit glared at the class, as if daring any of the students to contradict her. "Really the only mandrake that was perfectly repotted was Miss Benoit's and Mr Kesley's, so well done to you both! Ten points to Regolith and Gold!"

Scarlet raised her hand for a high-five which, after only a brief hesitation, Wolf gave.

"Unfortunately, we do not have time to repeat the process with switched roles, but I do have a homework assignment for you, a simple question paper on the uses and properties of mandrakes. I'll have to get the sheets from my office. If I notice one thing out of place in this greenhouse, I can personally guarantee that the culprit will be faced with a very nasty punishment."

With a final suspicious glare at the class, Professor Benoit left the greenhouse.

As soon as she was out of sight, a Gold boy stooped over and started mimicking an old lady's voice. "Ooh, look at me, I'm Professor Benoit and everyone in this class sucks at herbology except for my granddaughter."

"Shut up Roland!" Scarlet snarled at the boy, fists bunching at her sides. Roland drew himself up back to his full height and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Or what? Granny's not here to protect you Scarlet."

His comment elicited a few sniggers, but more "are you crazy?" looks. It was hardly a secret that Scarlet could fight. Brutally.

"Please. A pygmy puff could beat you in a fight." Scarlet scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"A pygmy puff wouldn't be insane enough to try, unlike your grandma."

Scarlet narrowed her eyes at Roland and her hand started to drift to the wand tucked into her waistband. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Several students started inching away from the redhead, but Roland, oblivious to her rage, snorted. "Your granny may act all tough and strong, but everyone knows she's just a crazy old bat who's getting on in years."

"She's not crazy!"

"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the student who got turned into a rabbit for stealing her vegetables?"

Scarlet glanced around at her classmates. They all looked supremely uncomfortable with this exchange, but it was the quiet, yet ever so real, mummers of agreement that pushed her over the edge.

Pulling out her wand, Scarlet aimed it at Roland (with some difficulty, due to her shaking hands) and shouted, "Melofors!"

Instantly, a gigantic, perfectly ripe pumpkin materialised around Roland's head. He cried out with shock (though it was a bit hard to hear through the fruit) and started desperately trying to pull it off him. When he finally succeeded, Scarlet noted with no small amount of satisfaction that he was covered in pumpkin innards. She knew from experience that it would be weeks before he got all the seeds out of his hair.

Roland glared at her furiously, but Scarlet just turned up her nose at him.

"Consider that a warning for the next time you insult my grandmère."

Snarling, Roland tugged out his own wand and aimed it at Scarlet, preparing a jinx of his own. But, instead of speaking an incantation, all that came out of his mouth was a pained howl as a flash of white light suddenly struck him full in the face. Roland fell back, still howling, and desperately covered his face with his hands. Students swarmed around him, discussing in confused, panicked voices about what might have happened. Scarlet was curious herself but refrained from joining her peers. As far as she was concerned, Roland had only got what he deserved.

Finally, Jacin managed to pry Roland's hands away long enough to get a look at his face. "He's been hit with a stinging jinx." He said without much emotion, "And a pretty strong one too by the looks of it. "

"His face looks like a balloon…" Scarlet heard Thorne mutter.

"Yeah that's one of the effects. Roland here should also be suffering from some blindness as well as, obviously, excruciating pain."

Kai whistled in sympathy for Roland. "Dang, he was being an idiot but that seems to be a bit much. Not to mention we're not allowed to cast pain-inducing jinxes. Darn it Wolf, I'm gonna have to report this!"

"He's lucky I didn't use a tempest jinx."

Scarlet whirled around to stare at Wolf to find him glaring darkly down at Roland with his wand in one hand. _He'd_ cast that jinx? Wolf looked like he got into his fair share of fights and all but Scarlet still had a hard time imagining the awkward, slightly clueless boy who'd been apprehensive about repotting a baby mandrake casting a painful spell like a stinging jinx on someone, and an even harder time imagining him striking someone with lightning bolts.

"What is going on here?"

As one, the class turned to see Professor Benoit holding several sheets of paper gazing around in shock at her class. Roland sat up and Scarlet got a good look at his face for the first time. It took all of her willpower not to grin with satisfaction.

His face had gone all swollen and puffed up, with a huge red welt blooming across the bridge of his nose. His eyes had been reduced to slits that were, at the moment, steadily leaking with tears of pain. Scarlet couldn't imagine a better punishment for the boy who insulted her grandmère.

"Kesley jinxed me!" He whined through his swollen lips.

Professor Benoit shot a glare at Wolf, who's cold expression quickly became docile and he ducked his head. Scarlet got the feeling that if he had a tail, it would be tucked between his legs.

She stepped in front of him and looked her grandmère squarely in the eye. "Roland had been insulting you behind your back."

"Oh yes?" Professor Benoit's voice was like ice as her eyes narrowed down at the jinxed boy, who's face had suddenly gone quite pale.

"I used the melofors jinx on him, and he had been about to jinx me back when Wolf cast the stinging jinx."

Professor Benoit's glare flitted between Roland, swollen and in pain, to Wolf, submissive, to her granddaughter, stubborn and proud. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You three have put me in quite a tricky situation." She groaned, "Students aren't allowed to jinx each other during school hours, and pain-inducing spells such as a stinging jinx are forbidden altogether! But, Miss Benoit, you were punishing a student who was insulting a teacher, which is also forbidden. And Mr Kesley, you were just trying to defend your fellow student, albeit in a slightly brutal manner." Wolf flinched.

"Mr Johnson," Professor Benoit said, looking sternly down at Roland. "since you have been the victim of two jinxes, I'll let you off detention. Same goes for you, Miss Benoit and Mr Kesley, since you were both trying to do the right thing, though telling me about the infractions would have been much more preferable than breaking school rules. But the same doesn't apply to house points. Mr Kesley, since your motives were fair, I'll only deduct fifteen points from Regolith. Mr Johnson, Miss Benoit, for your actions, I'll deduct twenty points from Gold for insulting a teacher and for casting jinxes inside school hours without permission, though with fair motives. Mr Royal, you take Mr Johnson to the hospital wing. The rest of you, off to recess, and remember to pick up your homework sheets!"

The class filed out of the greenhouse with relief, though Scarlet couldn't tell if it was because they had recess now or because of the unhealthy amount of excitement during the last few minutes.

Scarlet tapped Wolf on the shoulder as she passed him. "Hey, thanks for jinxing Roland back there."

Wolf shrugged, though Scarlet couldn't help but notice that his ears turned red. "He deserved worse."

"Maybe, but then you might be facing way worse than losing a couple of house points."

Wolf just shrugged again.

"Of course, it's not like I didn't have the situation completely under control." Scarlet continued with a wry grin. Wolf's mouth quirked up into an amused smirk. "You'd have probably used an unforgivable curse."

"I make no promises."

Wolf chuckled and, for the first time, gave Scarlet a real, proper grin that wasn't embarrassed or nervous, just relaxed and happy. Scarlet decided she quite liked that grin.

**A/N: Finally, Wolf speaks! If any of you are wondering why Professor Benoit (a.k.a. Scarlet's grandmother) called Scarlet Miss Benoit instead of just Scarlet, it's because she's a firm believer in treating all her students equally, which means calling them by similar names (ironic considering Roland was accusing her of favouritism ;) ). Also, for any of you who are a bit confused by the tempest jinx and the mention of lightning bolts, that's what the tempest jinx does: strikes people with lightning bolts. I loved writing the interactions between Scarlet and Wolf. I love all the canon pairings in TLC, but Wolflet is definitely my OTP ****. We've seen through the POVs of all four main gals so, you guessed it, it's the guys' turn in the spotlight! Who's POV will the next chapter be in? Give me your guesses in the reviews! See you all next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Kai**

Kai munched on a piece of toast as he tried to block out the breakfast hubbub in the Great Hall. He could hardly blame his fellow students for being loud, it was Saturday after all! Everyone wants to just spend the weekend being as loud and free as possible, especially when it's the first weekend of school, but that's not Kai. He's always been an overachiever and a rule-follower. For him, it's not a weekend until you've finished all your homework and studied for all your tests. Thankfully, he didn't have any tests yet, though he did have a pile of transfiguration homework, courtesy of Professor Mira, that he desperately wanted to get done and out of the way.

The task was to transform five different objects into butterflies and capture at least one butterfly from each object. Professor Mira said that it was so she can make sure they had all completed the homework, but Kai suspected it was just to create some added difficulty for the task. Butterflies are quick, small, and not exactly wanting to be caught.

Kai glanced at Jacin, who was sitting next to him, and considered asking him if he wanted to help. Kai only had to think about it for about three seconds before realising it was hopeless. Jacin generally didn't like working with people other than Winter, and he'd probably already made plans to study with her anyway.

Kai looked around at the other tables, trying to find someone who could help him out. There was Winter over on the Silver table sitting next to a girl with unbelievably long hair (Kai thought her name was Cress?), but Winter wasn't very good at transfiguration, her mind was way too creative and imaginative for the scientific branch of magic. As for Cress, Kai thought she was fairly good at the subject, but he didn't think she was really big on socialising and he didn't want to fluster her by asking her to work with him on his transfiguration homework out of the blue.

His gaze moved on to the Gold table where he spotted Scarlet turning Roland's coffee into pumpkin juice. The memory of Roland's head stuffed in a pumpkin brought a smile to Kai's lips. Roland was even louder and brasher than most other Golds and was always saying stupid stuff like those comments on Professor Benoit to try and look cool. Kai was definitely not a fan of Roland, but even he had to admit that that stinging jinx was probably overkill. Roland had had to be kept in the hospital wing for the whole day before the swelling finally stopped.

Kai regarded Scarlet for a few moments before foregoing the notion of her helping with his homework. Scarlet hated transfiguration. She was more of a go-to when he was struggling with herbology, and the homework assignment they'd got from that class was easy enough.

He also spotted Iko, but she was generally more interested in gossip than homework and (for some reason Kai had yet to figure out) she always looked nervous when he brought up transfiguration. He knew it wasn't exactly her best subject, but she wasn't bad at it!

Finally, he turned to the Titanium table. His eyes found their way to a head of brown hair, pulled back into its usual messy ponytail. She was wearing gloves, as always. She'd told him once it was because her wand had created a giant fireworks show in the wand shop and some stray sparks had singed her hand and the gloves were just a precaution, though Kai hadn't seen her wand misbehave once since lessons began.

Cinder was dressed in a plain grey T-shirt and torn jeans. Kai could only imagine how well that went down with Iko. She always went ballistic over that red hoodie Scarlet wears, going on about how much it clashes with her red hair. A ratty T-shirt and jeans? Iko would probably scream in horror and faint. The thought made Kai chuckle slightly.

Maybe Cinder could help him out with transfiguration? She was really good at it from what Kai could see. She usually had the spell mastered by the end of the lesson. The points she'd earned Titanium in the first week alone would have been enough to win them the house cup! She was also easy to talk to, never trying to flirt with him like 90% of the girls in their year or pretending to be someone different. She knew who she was and had absolutely no problem with letting others know, a trait that Kai admired greatly. She was also pretty tough, if her slapping Thorne on the first day of school meant anything. It would be nice to get to know her better.

A hand suddenly clamping down hard on his shoulder jolted Kai out of his thoughts. 

"Oh, so you _are_ on Earth. I was beginning to wonder."

Kai frowned up at Thorne's smirking face.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you enjoy staring at Cinder during breakfast."  
"I wasn't staring!"

"Right, you were just looking right at Cinder without blinking. Definitely not staring."

Kai groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I was just wondering if she would mind helping me with my transfiguration homework, that's all."

"She _is_ good at transfiguration, but I'm afraid you're going to have to wait 'til later to ask your crush on a study date cus' no way am I letting you spend the whole day of our very first weekend back in the library!"

Kai opened his mouth to say that Cinder was most certainly _not_ his crush and that he wasn't planning on spending the whole day in the library, but a groan from Jacin interrupted him.

"Seriously Thorne, again? You do this _every year!_"

Thorne shrugged in response.

Kai, finally letting the implications of what Thorne said earlier sink in, groaned as well. "Come on Thorne, I don't want to get detention on the weekend!"

"You guys are no fun."

"Well excuse us for not thinking that the Black Woods are the most fun place on Earth." Jacin drawled with a roll of his eyes.

"It'll be different this time! No Black Woods, just over to the Biting Rocks."

"Oh great, that sounds much better!"

Kai raised his eyes to the heavens as Thorne and Jacin continued to argue and started finishing his breakfast. They would probably still be arguing by lunchtime. Come to think of it, Kai would be surprised if they weren't.

"Jacin?"

The argument paused abruptly at the sound of the new voice. Kai looked up from his plate to see who it was and froze.

It was the kid from herbology, the one who had jinxed Roland. He didn't look like he would be jinxing anyone now, but then again, he hadn't when he'd walked into the greenhouse.

Seemingly oblivious to Kai's fear, the kid continued, "I might be a bit late for that duelling practice you asked about since there's something I need to pick up from potions, is that okay?"

Jacin waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, sure Wolf, don't worry about it."

The kid, Wolf, nodded while Thorne gasped dramatically. "Jacin, you made an extra appointment today? Surely you must have known I would have had something planned!"

Wolf frowned and glanced back and forth between Thorne and Jacin in confusion.

"Are you sure your free for today Jacin?"

"Yes, Thorne's just trying to get me and Kai to kill ourselves."

Kai hid a smile as Thorne feigned outrage that he would _ever_ put Kai or Jacin in danger. He may be one of the most annoying people Kai knew, but he sure was a comedian.

Thorne suddenly perked up. He shot a grin at Wolf and Kai's heart sank. He knew what that look meant.

"If you want to live another day, I suggest that you run." Kai stage whispered to Wolf, who raised an eyebrow back at him.

Thorne strode over to the tall boy and threw an arm around his shoulders, much to his bewilderment.

"Kai, Jacin and I were gonna have some fun today, you know, it being the first weekend of school and all. Why don't you come along? I've been wanting to get to know the guy who landed a torturous stinging jinx on Roland during herbology." 

Tugging Thorne's arm off his shoulders, Wolf replied, "I'm good, thank you."

"Sorry man, you can't get out of it now that he's asked." Kai told him apologetically. "Jacin and I have tried to refuse before, and wound up with pillows full of flobberworms, stinksap in our toothpaste-"

"Don't forget the skiving snackbox breakfasts." Jacin put in, "There's a reason the nosebleed nougats come with a warning label Thorne!"

Thorne shrugged in reply and shot his signature grin at Wolf. "Yep, that's generally what happens when they say no! So… you in?"

Wolf groaned. "I guess I have to be if I want to have a peaceful morning tomorrow."

"Atta boy! Everyone, meet at the Biting Rocks in twenty!"

Kai shot Wolf a sympathetic look. He was going to have one terrible morning.

Since Kai, Jacin and Wolf were all in Regolith and lived in the same house tower, they figured they all might as well go together.

"So… you're new, right?" Kai asked Wolf as they made their way through the maze of hallways that was Artemisia. Kai and Jacin both knew pretty good shortcuts, but they weren't overly eager to get to the Biting Rocks and Kai figured it would be a good chance to get to know Wolf a little better. Sure, the guy was scary, but he was stuck with them now, whether he liked it or not, and it just wouldn't do to be walking around with a total stranger.

"Yeah." Came the reply. Looked like Wolf wasn't much of a talker.

"What school did you transfer from?"

"Just a small academy run by some charitable witches and wizards. You wouldn't have heard of it. It wasn't even officially marked as a school by the local ministry."

This ignited a spark of pity in Kai. Sometimes in poorer communities, young witches and wizards couldn't afford to buy any of the equipment needed to attend one of the finer wizarding schools like Artemisia or Hogwarts, and they ended up getting a rudimentary education filled with holes from other witches and wizards.

Kai frowned suddenly as a confusing thought struck him. "If you could afford to attend Artemisia, why did you settle for a smaller school?"

"Because I couldn't afford to attend Artemisia, or any of the other big schools." Wolf replied, "The only reason I'm here now is one of the staff put in a good word for me and even bought all the stuff I needed."

"Let me guess," Jacin said abruptly, "it was Jael."

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"He's always the guy who brings in the poor wretches who can't afford to buy stacks and stacks of textbooks like the rest of us. He acts all noble about it, but really he only does it so that the kids are in his debt."

"Anyway," Kai said loudly, trying to change the subject, "was one of the wizards who taught you an auror or something? Seeing as you seem to know your way around offensive spells.

Kai couldn't help but notice that Wolf looked a bit relieved as he nodded. "There was always aurors on duty in the village where I used to live. The settlers who decided to first set-up there had picked a pretty cruddy area that was full of dark creatures and all the people living there now are either too poor or too stubborn and proud to leave. We were always finding boggarts in our cupboards, there were hags roaming around and we even got the occasional werewolf attack!"

"Werewolves?" Kai echoed, wide-eyed. "Merlin's Beard, how are you still alive? Those things are vicious!"

"A werewolf once got into the school." Jacin said, frowning at the memory. "Remember that Kai? It infected seventeen students and killed over twenty before the staff were able to kill it. The only reason it got so few was because it was during the Christmas holidays and there were barely a hundred students around. As it was, that thing got about half of them."

Wolf glanced down at the floor. "There were a lot of casualties back home too. Anyone who got infected was cast out from the village after they were discovered. The only upside was that, since werewolves are only werewolves during the full moon, we knew when to expect an attack."

"Is that why you call yourself Wolf?" Kai asked, "Because you have to fight of werewolves at home?"

Wolf's mouth quirked up into a small half-smile at this and he shook his head. "Nah, the kids here just started calling me that because I have "wolf teeth"."

Wolf gritted his teeth to show Kai and Jacin what he meant. Sure enough, the canines appeared to be slightly longer and sharper than what you would normally see, like fangs.

Jacin raised his eyebrows at them. "Huh. Those'll give a pretty nasty bite."

Kai frowned at them curiously. "How'd you get them?"

"One of the aurors on duty thought it would be a good idea to turn the kids into animals during the full moon since werewolves typically ignore them, and I wound up spending the night as a wolf. He wasn't the best at turning animals back into humans though, hence the teeth."

"If you think those teeth are impressive, wait until you see the Biting Rocks!"

Jacin threw back his head and groaned dramatically as Thorne's voice spoke up from behind them. Kai shot him a pleading look.

"C'mon Thorne, can't we just do something that _won't_ land us in the hospital wing?"

"We are Kai!" Thorne replied cheerily, "So you have no cause for complaint! Honestly, you'd think I was making you go collect acromantula venom or something! Don't you guys know that a captain's number-one priority is his crew?"

"Langlock." Jacin growled, pointing his wand at Thorne.

Thorne's cheerful expression became startled as his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Jacin put his wand away and sighed in mock content. "Finally, peace and quiet."

Thorne glared at him and pulled out his own wand, using it to shoot sparks at Jacin's shoes, causing him to yelp in pain and do a funny little dance as they started to smoulder.

Chuckling, Kai waved his own wand, releasing Thorne's tongue. He expected that to be the end of it. Unfortunately, Thorne's pride had just been hurt, badly. And that demanded punishment.

"Levicorpus!" He shouted, thrusting his wand out at Jacin. Immediately, Jacin found himself struggling in the air upside-down. Thorne had just enough time to smirk before a pumpkin materialised around his head. Kai raised an eyebrow at Wolf, who had the grace to look sheepish.

"Liberacorpus!" Jacin grumbled, pointing his wand at himself. He crashed to the ground just as Thorne managed to get Wolf's pumpkin off his head.

Thorne glared at Wolf for a few moments before crying, "Rictusempra!"

A jet of silver light shot out of Thorne's wand heading straight for Wolf. Kai had just enough time to wonder what it would be like to see Wolf laugh when he dodged, his movements surprisingly quick and agile given his size, and the spell hit Kai instead.

It felt like thousands of tiny hands were tickling Kai all over. Falling back, he struggled to breath around the never-ending laughter that was bursting out of him. Tears streamed from his eyes and his stomach started to ache as he continued to laugh more and more.

Wolf approached him, looking slightly wary in the face of Kai's relentless laughter. "Uuh, Kai? Are you Oka-"

The rest of his sentence was lost as Kai pointed his wand at Wolf's legs. _Tarantallegra._

Wolf cried out with surprise as his legs suddenly started jerking every which way, almost kicking Kai in the face and catching Thorne in the stomach.

Thorne cursed as he doubled-over and glared at Kai. "Seriously Kai? You couldn't have picked someone with shorter legs?"

Kai couldn't speak. Thorne's tickling charm was still going strong and Wolf's crazed movements looked so strange on the muscular, scarred boy that it was only making him laugh all the harder. This day had turned out fun after all.

**A/N: And it's Kai! We learned a fair bit about Wolf's background in this chapter, as well as about Thorne's idea of fun and we also got to witness a jinx fight! Not only that, but we even had some insight as to what Kai feels about Cinder at this stage in the story. Next chappie's gonna be another dude. Who do you think it will be? Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

Wolf scowled at the trunk sitting on the other side of the room. As he watched, it suddenly bounced and wobbled.

The teacher, Professor Clay, was standing next to the trunk. "I thought we would start your second week with your first practical of the year." He said. "It's all very well to study defence against the dark arts based on theory alone, but it doesn't place you in a situation where you will have to physically apply your skills. For that reason, I find theory work rather unreliable, so I generally prefer practical lessons. Can anyone tell me what today's subject will be? Mr Royal?"

Kai let his hand drop back to his side, having been called on. "A boggart Professor."

"Excellent Mr Royal! Now, does anyone know what it is about boggarts that classifies them as dark creatures? Mr Clay?"

Wolf couldn't see Jacin through the thick crowd of students, but his serious, blank voice was unmistakable as he answered.

"They shapeshift into their victim's greatest fear."

"Correct! Boggarts generally choose people who are alone as their victims. Mr Thorne, why is that?"

Thorne, who had been muttering something to the boy next to him, jumped at the unexpected address. He looked at the teacher blankly for a few moments, before tilting his head and asking, "Err, what?"

Several members of the class sniggered whilst Professor Clay raised an eyebrow at Thorne. "Why," He repeated, speaking slowly "do boggarts go after people who are alone?"

Thorne scratched his head as he struggled to think of an answer. "Uh, because they'll probably have different fears? And boggarts can only copy one fear?"

"That's right Mr Thorne. When a boggart comes across multiple people, it will try to merge their fears together in whatever form it takes. The result of this action is generally a form that is not very terrifying. I have one more question for you all before we get on with the practical: how do you kill a boggart? Miss Benoit?"

"You use riddikulus to turn it into something funny and your laughter will kill it."

"That is a very good answer Miss Benoit, but not quite correct. Any one else? Mr Kesley?"

Wolf lowered his hand and answered: "Boggarts are amortal creatures, like poltergeists, meaning they are not alive to begin with and, as a result, can't be killed. Laughter will cause the boggart to disappear, but it will simply reappear somewhere else."

Professor Clay gave Wolf an appraising look. "Brilliant answer Mr Kesley! That is correct, boggarts are, in a manner of speaking, born dead and can never be killed. Sometimes when they reappear in a different location, they will have several other boggarts with them, something you all must be careful of. Boggarts can usually be found inhabiting dark, confined spaces, such as this trunk here. They are also fond of hiding in shadowy corners. It is important for you to remember that boggarts can hide anywhere dark and confined, not just the typical places such as wardrobes. I once found one hiding in my lunchbox. It gave me a right fright when it came out! But enough chat; let's get on with the lesson. Everyone form a line in front of the trunk."

The class shuffled into a line, some jostling other students out of their way in their eagerness to be at the front, others hanging back.

Professor Clay waited until a wobbly line had been formed before speaking again. "Now, before you all face the boggart, I want you to imagine your greatest fear and think of some way to make it funny. Once you've done this, raise your hand so I can see you're prepared. Once everyone's hands are raised, we'll proceed with the practical."

Wolf closed his eyes and thought about his greatest fear. It wasn't hard. His fear usually broke into his thoughts on an almost regular basis, demanding his attention too loudly for him to ignore. Making it funny was the hard part.

Around him, Wolf could hear some of the other students mumbling to themselves as they tried to make their fears funny. He cracked open one eye and glanced at Scarlet, who was standing in front of him. What could she possibly be afraid of? She seemed like the kind of person who would punch her fears in the face rather than run away from them screaming. Wolf kind of doubted that she even had a greatest fear.

Only when she hesitantly raised her hand did Wolf remember he was supposed to be making his fear funny and he quickly shut his eyes again, screwing up his face in renewed concentration.

When he finally came up with a humorous image, he opened his eyes and raised his hand. A few minutes later, the rest of the class all had their hands in the air. Professor Clay nodded with satisfaction and gestured for the first person in line to come forward.

It was a Gold girl with blue hair tied into thin braids, dark skin and watery grey eyes. She took out her wand and resolutely faced the trunk, which gave another little bounce as if the boggart inside could sense someone standing in front of it.

Professor Clay stepped back and pointed his wand at the trunk. The lid banged open and the boggart leaped out of it. And the boggart looked like… the Gold girl.

Wolf frowned in confusion. So… the girl was scared of herself? How does that work?

He got his answer soon enough. The boggart-girl's skin rippled, hard red and black scales sprouting from the flesh. Tusks sprouted from beneath her bottom lip and twisted horns emerged from beneath her blue braids.

The real girl thrust the tip of her wand at the boggart and shouted, "Riddikulus!"

The monster-version of the girl morphed into a tiny kitten doing a little dance on a ball. A chorus of giggles erupted from the class and the girl flipped her braids over one shoulder proudly.

Professor Clay beamed and applauded the girl's performance. "Well done Iko! Very amusing!"

As Iko made her way to the back of the line, Wolf could have sworn that her eyes had become molten gold. Weren't they grey before?

The next student to go up was one Wolf actually knew. He was a Regolith boy, Kinney. Wolf didn't really know that much about him, other than that he was a prefect.

Kinney faced the boggart resolutely and it switched from a dancing kitten to a girl's dead body. Her long, dark hair was tangled and matted with dried blood. Her empty eyes were staring up at Kinney, looking almost accusatory. Kinney tensed at the sight before pointing his wand at the body. "Riddikulus."

The body sprang to its feet, but her hair was now clean and neatly braided, and her eyes were bright and happy. The girl started twirling a pirouette, going faster and faster until her braid smacked her in the face. This elicited a few chuckles.

Wolf glared at Roland as the boy eagerly stepped up to the boggart. He still felt unsatisfied with the stinging jinx he'd cast on the obnoxious Gold last week. Everyone else thought it had been too harsh, but Wolf wasn't convinced. He'd deserved worse. Far worse. He insulted a teacher for no good reason other than her supposed "bias". He'd poked fun at Scarlet when she tried to defend her grandmother and even tried to jinx her. Roland definitely deserved worse than a stinging jinx.

Wolf glanced at the boggart and his eyes widened at the form it had taken. Snorts of laughter sprouted from the line of students. The thing standing in front of Roland, the thing he feared the most… was Wolf.

Boggart Wolf looked coldly down at Roland and tugged a wand out of its pocket. It pointed it at Roland and opened its mouth just as Roland cast riddikulus. Boggart Wolf immediately screamed in pain and dropped its wand, covering its face with its hands. As it dropped to its knees, it removed its hands, revealing that its face had swollen up like a balloon.

Professor Clay gave Roland a heavily disapproving frown. "You executed the spell just fine, but ten points from Gold for wishing something like this on your classmate."

"He did it to me first!" Roland protested.

"Yes, yes, I heard the whole story from Professor Benoit. You were insulting her behind her back, were you not?"

Wolf suppressed a smirk as Roland gaped at Professor Clay, looking remarkably like a goldfish.

Finally, face flushed red, Roland shuffled to the back of the line and let Thorne take his turn.

Like Iko, Thorne's boggart turned out to be himself. Boggart Thorne wore handsome formal robes and stood pencil straight. His normally tousled hair had been combed completely flat. His eyes were missing their typical mischievous glint and his mouth was set into a thin line as opposed to his usual lopsided grin.

When Wolf figured out Thorne's fear, he couldn't stop the snort of laughter that followed. Thorne was afraid of becoming boring! It surprised Wolf that Thorne even thought he could become boring! In the week Wolf had known him, Thorne had already released nifflers into the trophy room, put fever fudge in Professor Torin's porridge, and even hid devil's snare in the potion's cupboard.

Thorne, seemingly unaffected by seeing this bland version of himself, waved his wand with a flourish. "Riddikulus!"

What Thorne turned his boggart into made the whole class erupt into laughter. It was Jacin, with his long blonde hair done up with pretty pink ribbons and wearing a poufy, sparkly pink dress covered with lace and bows.

"Mr Thorne, I believe I have made clear my opinion of my students acting towards each other in this manner?" But even as he scolded Thorne, Professor Clay's mouth twitched with suppressed laughter.

Wolf shot a glance over at Jacin to see how he was taking the image. Judging from the look on his face, Thorne had just declared war.

Kai was the next student in line. He was still laughing as he stepped up to the boggart.

However, all laughter in the room quickly died at the sight of Kai's boggart. Like Kinney's, it was a dead body. This person was broad-shouldered and tall. His hair was black, like Kai's, and his eyes were grey. He looked like he'd been a powerful man when he was alive, though now he appeared thin and weak. Lavender splotches covered his body. His skin held a yellowish tinge. His nails were chipped and crusted, and his fingertips were shrivelled and blue. This man, whoever he is, was a letumosis victim.

Wolf felt several students take instinctive steps away from the blatant signs of the disease, as if the mere mimicry of its effects by a boggart will lead to their infection.

Kai couldn't tear his gaze away from the boggart. From behind, Wolf could see that Kai was shaking.

Professor Clay came up behind Kai and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. As Kai looked up at the teacher, Wolf noticed that his eyes were shimmering with tears.

Kai raised his wand and pointed it at the body, whispering, "Riddikulus."

Just like with Kinney's boggart, Kai's jumped up, all signs of its death gone. The lavender splotches had faded and his skin had a healthy tinge as opposed to its former yellow pallor. The boggart grinned and waved energetically at Kai, who offered no reaction. He walked to the back of the line in silence, his copper gazed fixed firmly on the ground.

Professor Clay gestured for the next person to come up.

Jacin stepped forward and stood in front of the boggart, doing nothing, saying nothing.

The happy man switched into a breathtakingly beautiful girl with three bleeding cuts running down her face. The hem of her white dress was stained dark red with blood. Tears flowed from her golden-brown eyes and she reached out to Jacin with one hand.

"Jacin… please…" she begged helplessly, desperately. "The walls… they're bleeding… Jacin please, help me!"

Wolf saw Jacin clench his jaw before pointing his wand resolutely at the girl. "Riddikulus."

The desperate girl became Thorne wearing a shimmering cocktail dress and glinting diamond jewellery. Just like when Thorne showed Jacin in a dress, the class erupted into laughter, though it was noticeably less boisterous this time, due to the still-present horror at seeing a letumosis victim.

Next up was Scarlet.

Wolf's eyes widened with interest as the red-haired Gold stepped up. Unbidden, the memory of her joking with him and helping him during herbology rose up. Her amused grin at his utter incompetence, the rage burning in her brown eyes as Roland insulted her grandmother, the way she defended him when Roland tried to get him in trouble…

Wolf forcibly shook these thoughts out of his head. They'd been cropping up a lot lately. It was actually quite confusing.

Thorne-in-a-dress morphed into another corpse. This one lacked any gruesome details like blood or letumosis. It was just a dead person, with pale skin and glassy eyes. And it was Professor Benoit, Scarlet's grandmother.

Wolf felt like a fool for not considering the option. Of course Scarlet would be worried for her grandmother's health. She was a strong old woman, yes, but still an old woman. Nobody lasts forever, and with Professor Benoit already being old… well, Wolf could hardly blame Scarlet for worrying. Especially when Scarlet seemed so helpful, and kind, and-

Ugh, there he goes again. For Merlin's sake, what is wrong with him?

Scarlet's voice rang clearly as she spoke: "Riddikulus."

The boggart became Roland, tottering around unsteadily with a gigantic pumpkin on his head.

Finally, it was Wolf's turn.

"Good luck." Scarlet grinned at Wolf as she passed. Wolf had to resist the urge to smile back.

He stepped forward and glared at the boggart. He knew what it would turn into. He could see it, every little detail in his mind. He knew what to expect, and he was ready.

He watched as the boggart grew in size so that it was equal to his height. Its body covered itself with coarse, brown fur. Instead of a pumpkin head, it now sported slavering jaws, giant fangs, and burning green eyes. Its arms and legs grew long, its nails became sharp, and it sprouted a bushy brown tail.

Behind him, Wolf heard a low whistle, followed by Thorne's voice. "Man, that's not a face you'd want to see on a full moon."

Facing his werewolf boggart, Wolf couldn't agree more.

But for Wolf, it wasn't the teeth, or the fur, or the claws that made this creature so terrifying. What scared him was the madness and hunger glowing from the depths of its eyes, the saliva dripping down from its jaws, and the blood stains on its teeth and claws.

The werewolf growled and barked, sending spittle flying into Wolf's face. He wiped the drops off with his sleeve before raising his wand against the werewolf. "Riddikulus."

The class dissolved into giggles as Wolf's poodle bounced around happily.

**A/N: The first DADA class we've seen so far! Bet you all thought I'd forgotten that letumosis was in this story, didn't you? A bit of context into how this disease works in this AU will come later on, but for now, what did you all think of the characters' boggarts? More importantly, which of you imagined Thorne and Jacin in their respective dresses and laughed, or despised me for putting the images in your heads? Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Thorne**

Thorne half lay on top of his desk, staring at the teacher with half-closed eyes as they droned on and on about some potion or another. Thorne honestly couldn't care less about potions. In his opinion, the only part of the subjects that was remotely interesting was when he discovered a new combination of ingredients that explode or give off a bad smell.

The potions classroom was in the nicer part of the school dungeons, only one floor below ground level, with all the shackles and cell bars removed and replaced with shelves and doors.

The dungeons themselves went a full five levels below ground level. The lower the level, the worse the dungeon. Thorne had been sent to those dungeons a few times when he did something particularly bad. The lowest he'd ever gotten was the third level, and he didn't plan on going back there ever again. There were no rooms on that floor, only cells with rusted bars coated with grime. Rusty shackles hung from the ceiling and there were notches and mysterious stains all over the walls. The cell Thorne had been put in had had a boggart inside. Thankfully, he'd been allowed to keep his wand and could banish it. Still, it hadn't exactly been a five-star experience.

The shelves lining the walls of the classroom were stocked with jars and bottles of various liquids, plants, and pickling animal parts. A plain brown door in the far-right corner led to the potion's cupboard. Thorne had often stolen stuff from there to engineer his ingenious pranks. At the front of the room was a blackboard, on which the teacher had drawn several labelled potions ingredients Thorne had never heard of and written warnings he couldn't be bothered to read. The teacher himself, Professor Erland, was pacing behind a long table that he'd placed a large cauldron on top of filled with a beautiful potion. It gave off a gorgeous mother-of-pearl sheen and steam rose up from it in strange spirals.

"This," said Professor Erland, gesturing to the potion, "is a potion known as Amortentia. Can any of you tell me what kind of potion Amortentia is?"

Several hands went up, Thorne's not included.

"Miss Darnel?"

Cress lowered her hand and glanced around at the class nervously. "It's, um, a love potion. The most powerful love potion in existence. You can tell by its sheen and the way the steam moves."

Thorne suppressed a smile as the teacher nodded. He'd only know Cress for about a week, but she was clearly a genius. Not once had she answered a question wrong, and Thorne doubted she'd get a wrong answer anytime soon.

"Very good Miss Darnel. Another defining feature of Amortentia is its smell. The smell of Amortentia is made up of several different things and it smells different for each person. The smells are always the one's given off by the things the person finds most attractive, for example, your crush's perfume. I will now call you up one by one to smell the potion in order to experience this for yourselves. Please take note that you may not recognise all of these smells or comprehend what makes them attractive for you. Now, everyone form a line."

Thorne took his time getting into the line. He already had a pretty good idea of what he'll smell: his cologne and maybe his shampoo as well. Really the only reason he would have to get up front would be to make sure no girls were stealing some of the potion to sneak to him, Merlin knows it wouldn't be the first time. But Professor Erland had, like, a sixth sense when it came to students doing stuff they weren't supposed to, and his tall, lanky build certainly did nothing to inhibit his ability to find the culprit.

Cress fiddled with her hair as she sniffed the spiralling fumes. A blissful smile momentarily crossed her face. Though the smile wasn't meant for him, Thorne instinctively grinned in response.

Suddenly, Cress turned strawberry red and rushed back to her desk, immediately picking up a book and hiding behind its crinkled pages and worn leather cover.

Thorne frowned in disappointment as her face vanished behind the book. She looked cute when she blushed.

When it finally came to be his turn, Thorne stuck his head over the potion and breathed in deeply through his nose. A warm, musky scent with just a hint of orange was the first to greet him, quickly followed by a cooler smell, like wind, with a touch of something papery, and the sweet scent of vanilla.

Thorne's thought process all but ground to a halt as the scents seemed to fill him up entirely. It was intoxicating.

He felt slightly dizzy as he practically stumbled to his desk and fell into his chair. He looked longingly at the dancing curls of steam rising from the mother-of-pearl liquid in the cauldron. He only wanted one more smell, one more would satiate his sudden hunger, one more…

Thorne shook his head and even lightly slapped himself to bring the sense back into him. What was wrong with him? It was just a bunch of dumb smells!

He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, trying to get his thoughts together. That musky smell was definitely Boots, probably back from another raid on next-door's orange tree if Thorne had to judge. The second was Rampion, fresh back from delivering a letter. She always smelled like the sky. And the vanilla…

The vanilla had Thorne stumped. He liked the smell of vanilla, but it was hardly his favourite scent. Maybe it was the smell of some dessert he liked? But Thorne's favourite dessert was spice cake, with extra cinnamon like his house-elf made it. None of his colognes or soaps were vanilla scented, same went for his hair products. But apparently he found the scent of vanilla "attractive", so it had to come from something important to him. But what?

Thorne was slightly relieved to see he wasn't the only one turned into a romantic idiot from smelling the fumes. Winter nearly fell into the potion before Professor Erland could pull her back.

After everyone had smelled the potion, Professor Erland put a lid over the cauldron, cutting off its spiralling smoke and mother-of-pearl sheen.

He glared at the class, looking almost accusatory. "I'll have you all know that this is the only supply of Amortentia currently in the school, so if any of you steal it, I'll know where to start looking. Amortentia isn't just a love potion. As Miss Darnel has already told us, Amortentia is the most powerful love potion there is, and one of the most dangerous potions in existence because of it. I must remind you that, despite their name, love potions do not cause the drinker to fall in love, only incite an extreme obsession, and an obsession created from Amortentia is all-consuming. So, for the sakes of your crushes, I must ask that you leave this potion well alone! Do I make myself clear?"

Professor Erland turned his glare onto Thorne as he said this, who rolled his eyes in response. As if he needed a love potion to snag a girl.

"Since this potion is so dangerous, and kids your age are about as good at comprehending that as a niffler is with leaving shiny things alone, we won't be preparing this potion for ourselves." Professor Erland continued. "Instead, I want you all to write me two paragraphs: one on the ingredients and unique appearance of Amortentia, and one on its effects and what makes it so dangerous. You can find everything you need to know in your copy of _100 Essential Elixirs, Antidotes and Poisons._ You have until the end of the lesson. Anything you don't complete will be your homework for tonight. You may begin."

There was the rustle of paper as the class opened their textbooks to the pages on Amortentia. Thorne skimmed through the paragraphs on rose petals and thorns, pearl dust and Moonstone, only half taking in the information. He wasn't all that interested in Amortentia. He figured he'd pick out a few facts and wing it for the rest of the assigned task, cus' come on, when is he ever going to need to know why rose petals are more effective than rose thorns?

A soft humming drew what little attention he had on his textbook to Cress, who was already writing with her gleaming blue quill. She'd done her hair in a French braid today, which was currently tossed over the back of her chair. A few of the shorter strands had come loose and were just grazing her chin. Thorne could make out the shine of her blue eyes as she stared down at her paper.

Thorne sat back and listened to her hum. It was a pretty tune, one he'd heard her singing a few times as well. _Sweet Crescent Moon_ he thought it was called. It was a sweet, soothing song, like a lullaby (well, for all Thorne knew it really was a lullaby) and it sounded even prettier in Cress's lovely, lilting voice.

Thorne closed his eyes, enjoying the melody. He probably would have stayed like that for the duration of the lesson, had Professor Erland not rapped sharply on his desk with his wand and snapped at him to get to work.

Thorne rolled his eyes behind the teacher's back. What a killjoy.

At the rapping, Cress had stopped her humming, leaving the classroom silent except for the scratching of quills and the occasional sound of a page turning, and those didn't count in Thorne's book.

He smiled and pulled out a small cloth pouch from his pocket. Time for some action.

Thorne may have been mediocre at potions, and had about as much interest in the subject as a hippogriff had with a salad, but he could certainly whip something up if he had the motivation. He'd made smoothies that made people projectile-vomit skunk juice, soups that made people grow all manner of animal features from tails to wings, and the powder contained in the pouch was just another one of his experiments.

He opened the pouch slightly and inspected the softly-glowing orange grains inside. They looked almost like embers. He decided to take that as a good sign.

Holding his breath, he spilled the powder into one hand, shaking the pouch to ensure all of it came out. Then, he raised his hand up to his face, and blew into the powder.

Instantly, a screeching red dragon made of pulsing red light with ravenous yellow eyes flew off his hand. The classroom erupted in screams as students stumbled over each other trying to get away from the beast as it flapped erratically above the desks, only barely missing the jars of potions ingredients on the shelves.

Thorne winced in guilt as Cress ducked underneath her desk, blue eyes wide and filled with terror, but other that that was immensely enjoying himself, watching the dragon shriek and fly about with pride.

_Illusion Powder: success!_

A couple minutes into the chaos, the dragon dispersed back into powder, though it was now an innocent, unremarkable white.

Professor Erland glared at Thorne, who tried for an innocent smile.

"One hundred points from Gold," Professor Erland said through gritted teeth, "and detention work in the menagerie. For the rest of the week, you'll be cleaning the creature pens, as well as feeding and grooming the creatures themselves. No magic."

Thorne had to fight to keep his smile from widening. Just imagine what he could do with a few nifflers!

**A/N: Behold, Thorne, the master of pranks! Yeah, in this story, he's kinda like a flirtatious, charismatic Fred/George Weasley, only he doesn't sell his inventions (well, at least not the working ones). I am going to have so much fun writing new prank devices for Thorne and giving the rest of my characters hell [Cue evil laughter].**

**So that was Thorne's chapter, and we had some lovely Cresswell feels going on throughout it which is always a bonus. If any of you are wondering why Professor Erland's description in this chapter doesn't quite match his original description, there is a reason for that which you will find out. Several chapters from now.**

**Now, of our big eight, only one character remains: Jacin! Let's read a chapter through the eyes of our favourite sarcastic bodyguard, shall we?**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

Jacin trudged through the corridors of the school, his backpack hanging heavily off one shoulder. A dark scowl was written across his face and his steps were more like stomps. The reason? Professor Park.

Jacin's hands clenched into angry fists at the thought of the Astronomy teacher's smug smile as he assigned Jacin weekend detention _for talking in the library!_ And he hadn't even been talking about anything bad, just giving Kai a hand with his Potions homework! It definitely didn't warrant a weekend spent cleaning the trophy room without magic. Jacin could still hear Professor Park's smug voice: _"Interrupting others' study is horribly inconsiderate of you Mr Clay. A weekend detention is the perfect punishment for such rudeness."_

Ugh, Jacin hated that man.

It was almost enough to make him go to Thorne and have him cook up some weird revenge prank. Almost.

"Jacin!"

Jacin had to fight a smile at Winter's familiar tinkling voice. He heard the sound of skipping feet and then she was walking beside him, smiling up at him with ruby red lips.

"How was your day?" Winter asked him, "I quite enjoyed mine. We're starting a new project in Care of Magical Creatures. Would you like to hear about it?"

"We both know you're going to tell me whether I care or not." Jacin replied with a roll of his eyes. Winter playfully smacked him on the arm.

"We get to raise a creature of our choice! I've picked a crup. Oh Jacin, they're so cute when they're puppies! I've named him Ryu."

"Just try to keep the gushing to a minimum Trouble." Jacin grinned at her.

"I make no promises." Winter replied with a grin of her own.

Jacin ruffled her hair, prompting a squeal from her and she lightly swatted his hand away, giggling.

Then Jacin's scowl returned.

"I'm just glad you didn't pick one of the deadly creatures. I swear Jael's trying to get us all killed."

"There were a few more dangerous creatures." Winter admitted. "There was a hippogriff there, and a fire drake as well and a magically animated statue of a Hungarian Horntail that actually breathed fire. But Professor Jael made sure only responsible, capable students could handle them, so there's no reason to worry." She added with a smile.

That fact that Jael had handpicked the students only made Jacin worry more. Jael usually gave dangerous jobs to his "charity cases", kids who he plucked out of nowhere and invited to attend the school, like Wolf. Jacin had told him that it was so the students would be indebted to him. It hadn't necessarily been a lie, that _was_ one of Jacin's theories. But he had others too, most of them based on how all of the kids were big and bulky with a talent for curses.

"Jacin? Are you listening?"

Jacin shook all thoughts of Jael out of his head and turned his attention to Winter.

"I'm sorry what?"

Winter pouted. "I was saying that we should go do something fun since it's Friday!"

Winter did this every week, dragging Jacin into some game or another to celebrate the weekend. Normally, Jacin would go with her, if only to make sure she was safe, but this time he shook his head.

"Sorry Trouble. I arranged to meet with someone this afternoon."

"You're making a new friend?" Winter cried with delight.

"He's just helping me with something Winter.

"And then you'll become friends!"

Jacin rolled his eyes.

"If it makes you happy to think that go ahead."

Winter clapped her hands in delight.

"Can I meet him? I've got to make sure he won't steal my spot as your best friend, after all." She jokingly asks Jacin.

"I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about on that front." He replies with a smirk.

"That's not an answer. Come on Jacin, please can I come? Please?"

Winter skipped in front of and stood on her tiptoes so that Jacin had no choice but to look into her beautiful soft eyes, which had become wide and begging.

Jacin groaned and massaged his forehead. "Alright, you can come."

Winter squealed with delight and threw her arms around him. Thank Merlin she couldn't see the blush building on his cheeks.

Jacin waited impatiently for Winter outside the entrance to the Silver dorms. He'd already changed into his casual clothes and was now waiting on Winter to do the same They were going to be late at this rate! Then again, Jacin's "new friend" probably wouldn't mind that much.

Jacin glanced at his watch. If Winter wasn't ready within five minutes, he was going to leave without her. She'd be ticked off, that's for sure, but it was her own fault for taking so long!

Three minutes later, Winter finally showed up wearing a dark blue day-dress with a matching bow in her hair and shiny purple shoes.

Jacin scowled at her attire, half-tempted to send her back into the dorm to pick out a more practical outfit, but they'd wasted enough time already.

Jacin speed-walked through the school and out onto the grounds, Winter skipping at his side. As they started to approach the Black Woods, Jacin waited for Winter to worry about ruining her pretty dress, but her only reaction was to switch from skipping to running.

"Why are we meeting your friend in the Black Woods?" Winter asked curiously as they passed through the trees.

"We're only meeting in the nicer part near the edge. The obstacles like the trees and rocks and stuff make practicing more challenging."

"Practicing?"

Before Jacin could reply, the tell-tale sounds of snapping twigs and crunching leaves rang through the air. Instinctively, Jacin put himself in front of Winter, protecting her from any danger that might be coming. But when the culprit, a tall boy with striking green eyes, came into view, Jacin let himself relax.

"Hello Wolf."

"Hey Jacin."

Wolf came to a stop a few feet away from Jacin and nodded to a space just above his shoulder. "You've brought a friend."

Winter came out from behind Jacin and smiled widely at Wolf.

"Hello! I'm Winter!" She chirped waving cheerfully. "You are in my Care of Magical Creatures class aren't you? Though I'm afraid I can't recall whether wolves are in the curriculum."

Wolf raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

"So," Wolf begins, addressing Jacin. "ready to practice?"

"What do you practice?" Winter demanded.

"Jacin asked me to help him out with offensive and defensive spells." Wolf replied, "We usually just have a duel or something."

Winter shot a suspicious look at Jacin, who pretended not to notice.

Wolf and Jacin stood opposite each other and bowed. Then they walked several paces away from each other and raised their wands.

"We start casting on the count of three." Wolf stated. Jacin nodded his consent.

"1… 2… 3!"

Jacin wasted no time in casting the first spell.

"Expelliarmus!"

A scarlet bolt of energy erupted from Jacin's wand, heading straight for Wolf. He dodged the spell and pointed his own wand at Jacin.

"Stupefy!"

Jacin hastily cast protego in the face of the stunning spell. He scowled as he felt the protective field strain under the impact. He'd have to work on that one.

"Petrificus totalus!" Jacin shouted. The resulting flash dissipated harmlessly on a protego spell Wolf had cast for himself.

"Depulso!"

Jacin couldn't dodge the charm in time and it hit him squarely in the stomach. He felt himself go flying backwards and eventually crashed into a tree trunk.

"Jacin!" Winter cried and rushed over to him. Wolf stayed where he was but shot Jacin a guilty look.

With a pained groan, Jacin pushed himself back up onto his feet, waving away Winter when she tried to help him stand.

He raised his wand and opened his mouth, ready to cast another spell, but Wolf was already pocketing his wand.

"I think we should stop there for today. We don't want to deal with any more injuries."

Jacin narrowed his eyes, tempted to just continue the duel anyway. This practice was important, and besides, it's not like his opponent in a real fight would let him walk away just because he'd been hurt. Wolf stared back at him, his expression firm.

Eventually, Jacin sighed and sat himself heavily at the foot of the tree he'd crashed into.

Wolf strode over to him and tugged a small vial filled with green liquid out of his pocket. He handed it to Jacin, who removed the stopper and gave it a quick sniff. A flurry of scents greeted him, most of which made him want to gag. Yep, that seemed about right.

Jacin drowned the liquid in a single gulp. This time, he couldn't suppress a gag. Wiggenweld potions tasted awful! Sure, it had mint and Honeywater in it, but it also had sloth brain mucus and billywig sting slime, as well as other disgusting things. Jacin found it was best not to think about them, both when brewing and when drinking.

The effects were almost instantaneous. The aches from the bruises Jacin had gotten from Wolf's jinx faded to nothing, probably along with the bruises themselves. Energy surged through his limbs and he got up from the tree feeling only slightly stiff.

Wolf cocked his head to one side. "I'll never understand how you can brew that stuff correctly. There are so many complicated steps involved!"

Jacin shrugged and dusted of his pants. "Just have a flair for it I guess."

It took a lot of convincing to keep Winter from dragging Jacin to the healing centre, and even more convincing to keep her from bringing his dinner to him in the Regolith dormitories.

It was another thirty minutes before they finally started making their way back to the main building. Wolf had already excused himself, so it was just Jacin and Winter. Jacin honestly had no idea if Wolf had left because the long arguments between Jacin and Winter made him uncomfortable, or if he was just hungry. Seriously, how did that guy stay so fit? He ate more than a dragon!

"I liked your Wolf-friend." Winter chirped happily.

Jacin rolled his eyes. "Please. You like everybody."

"I don't like Professor Park."

"I meant you like everybody with a heart."

Jacin expected Winter to giggle, but instead she gazed down at her feet, all traces of her smile gone.

"You're right." She eventually said after a long silence. "He has no heart."

Jacin scowled. Sometimes he doubted Professor Park was even human. The man had about as much compassion as a dementor. Which is why it always put Jacin on edge whenever he smiled or laughed, especially when the smile or laughter was directed at Winter. Professor Park was way too interested in her for Jacin's liking.

Winter shook her head vigorously, as if trying to dislodge her sudden sombreness. She called back her smile (though Jacin couldn't help but notice that it looked a little forced) and asked him, "Why were you practicing duelling with your Wolf-friend anyway?"

"Just to practice for the duelling lessons in DADA. I didn't do very well on them last year."

It was a weak lie, and Jacin knew Winter would see right through it, especially since she stole his report card last year and read all his grades, so she knew he'd gotten an Outstanding in DADA. Really, Jacin was practicing duelling so he could be prepared. Not to defend himself against the darker things in the world. No, he was practicing so he could defend Winter.

**A/N: So sorry this was late! **

**Finally, **_**finally**_**, we've seen through all the eyes of the main eight! Now that all the introductions have happened, let's get to the actual plot of the story! (You have no idea how excited I am for that).**

**Let's pool together what we now know: Professor Park's evil, Professor Erland looks not at all like himself for some reason, Thorne's a master prankster, Jacin's a master insulter and Winter's still a precious, crazy little flower who has a pet called Ryu. **

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder stuffed a forkful of pancake into her mouth, barely bothering to chew before swallowing. She wanted to get breakfast over with so she could finally leave the Titanium table. She'd been attending Artemisia for two full weeks now and still hadn't befriended anyone within her own house. Sad? Maybe. But it wasn't Cinder's fault that everyone in her house was always busy with extra credit assignments. At least she knew when to take a break!

Cinder paid no heed as the air suddenly filled with an assortment of screeches and flapping wings. She never got any post, except right before the holidays when Adri would send her a to-do list for when she got home. Naturally, Cinder spent as many holidays as possible at school.

It wasn't until a letter fell right on top of her pancakes was Cinder distracted from the important task of shovelling food into her mouth. Was Adri sending the to-do list early this year?

Cinder lifted the envelope out of her breakfast and turned it over. The return address was barely visible beneath the maple syrup the letter had picked up. As soon as Cinder managed to interpret the address, her heart started beating harder that a dragon's wing-beats:

PHOENIX HOSPITAL

BEIJING

CHINA

_It can't be that bad, _Cinder told herself, _it's probably just a medical report about my hand and leg or something._

Still, Cinder's hands shook as she tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside, cursing the maple syrup as it clung to the paper.

_Dear Cinder Linh,_

_It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you that Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis. You will receive a letter every time Peony Linh moves on to the next stage of the disease. Please ensure that all belongings of Peony Linh in your possession or objects that have recently come into contact with Peony Linh are destroyed by tomorrow to remove any and all chances of the disease being transmitted to others in your community._

_Our deepest condolences, _

_Phoenix Hospital_

The letter fell limply from Cinder's numb fingers.

_Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis_

_Peony Linh has recently contracted letumosis_

The words ran through Cinder's head over and over, but she just couldn't process them. Peony couldn't have letumosis. Peony was young, healthy. And where would she have picked up the virus anyway? She's been at Hogwarts for the past two weeks! No way would a school like that house any trace of the illness! The uncurable, fatal, quick-acting illness…

Suddenly, the Great Hall felt incredibly stifling. There were too many people, all of them unwittingly intruding on Cinder's grief.

Cinder forcefully shoved her plate of pancakes away from her, ignoring her schoolmate's cries of protest as they fell off the plate and onto their own letters and parcels. Shoving past the people sitting next to her and nearly falling off the bench in her haste to get away from the table, she ran out of the hall.

Cinder had no particular location in mind when she left, just somewhere private, with no students or teachers to try and talk to her, to say that Peony will be okay. Even as she blindly stumbled through the castle hallways, Cinder desperately tried to force herself to believe the lie. But she couldn't. Nobody survived letumosis. Cinder's own stepfather was proof of that.

Tears stung Cinders eyes, turning the world around her into a mess of blurry colours and shapeless blobs. It was only when the colours turned from the dull greys of the castle's stone walls to the vibrant green of grass did she gain any indication as to where she was.

Dragging a furious hand across her streaming eyes, she stumbled over to an oak standing at the very edge of the Black Woods. She slumped against it, silently thanking it for its steadfast trunk since her legs didn't appear to be working. And then, and only then, Cinder let herself cry.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, sobbing with all she had, but eventually, a gentle hand placed itself on her shaking shoulder.

Cinder glanced up at the visitor. It was difficult to see through her tears, but Cinder could still make out their many blue braids. Iko.

"I saw you run out of the hall." She murmured softly, "Anything I can do?"

Cinder couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Not unless you know the cure for letumosis. Peony's caught it somehow." When she said Peony's name, her voice cracked. Why, of all the student's at Hogwarts, did it have to be Peony? Sweet, kind little Peony…

Iko gasped in horror and her hand flew to her mouth. Cinder could see that her eyes had become slate grey, like when Cinder had told her that Garan had died from letumosis as well. She guessed that colour meant sympathy.

Iko wrapped her arms around Cinder's shoulders and pulled her close for a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Cinder didn't reply. Her throat was too clogged up with tears for her voice to work.

"You know," Iko said, "you're not the only one dealing with this. I think Kai's dad might also have letumosis."

Cinder blinked at her in surprise. Kai always seemed to be in a good mood, always smiling and laughing. How could his father be dying?

"It's just a theory, he hasn't specifically told me," Iko continued, "but during our DADA lesson with the Regoliths last week, his boggart was his father, dead from letumosis. I just thought that's an oddly specific way to die."

It _was_ oddly specific. It was not uncommon for boggarts to take the form of dead loved ones, but a loved one dead from a particular cause? That was unusual.

Iko stood up and offered Cinder a hand. "Come on, we should get you to your dorm. Maybe you should take the day off. I'll just tell the teacher's you're sick."

"Can't I just stay here?" Cinder murmured. It felt good to be out in the fresh air.

"I don't think that's a good idea. The centaurs living in the Black Woods have been getting all riled up for some reason. Best not to be seen near their territory. It's become a pretty common sight to see their arrows sticking out of the tree trunks."

Cinder scowled and peered into the trees, half-expecting to see a centaur there with an arrow knocked in its bow, ready to be fired straight into her heart. She knew centaurs were dangerous from when she took Care of Magical Creatures back in Hogwarts, but she was also pretty sure they were withdrawn creatures that preferred to avoid conflict with humans. So why were they aggressive all of a sudden?

**A/N: PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEEE! *Covers face with hands***

**Okay, I know you all are probably really mad at me for giving Peony letumosis since you probably don't want to go through that again, or Kai's father with letumosis for that matter, but when a story has letumosis in it…**

**We've got some really sweet Cinder/Iko friendship going on here (as well as a broken heart for each of us who've read this chapter) and a mystery to boot. What's going on with the centaurs? Will Cinder talk to Kai about dying family members?**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Winter**

Winter breathed in the scent of the forest around her, enjoying the smell of fresh air and soil. Magical beasts chirped and barked, nuzzling their student keepers for treats. Winter smiled. She loved her Care of Magical Creatures class. Out in the Black Woods where the lessons took place, surrounded by whatever strange animals they were learning about in that particular lesson, she felt at peace. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for her fellow students.

"Should we be still be having the lesson in the Black Woods? The centaurs have been really violent lately…"

"Yeah, I don't want to get turned into an arrow pincushion!"

"Or trampled into the ground!"

Jael raised his hands for silence, seemingly calm in the face of all the shouted protests. "No need to worry class. Centaurs are solitary creatures that prefer to avoid human interaction whenever possible, and that includes attacking humans. I know they have seemed a bit territorial, but I can guarantee that they won't try to attack. You're all perfectly safe."

Thorne snorted. "I may not pay much attention in History of Magic, but I'm pretty sure that centaurs have fought with wizards before."

"You're right Mr Thorne," Jael nodded, "you don't pay much attention in History of Magic. There are no records of any wizard-centaur battles. Are you sure you're not thinking of giants? Or trolls? There have certainly been battles against them."

"Professor Gertman spent half last lesson just listing all the "wizard-centaur battles" that have taken place throughout history just to show us why we should be worried about what's going on with the centaurs." Thorne replied dryly. "Even I couldn't ignore it when he was literally screaming!"

Winter blinked in surprise. She only had History of Magic twice a week, and Professor Gertman usually spent the whole lesson staring at her anyway so she didn't learn much, certainly nothing about the centaurs. Maybe they should be worried. Winter didn't want the blood of centaurs to flood the school! The image was enough to make her give the little dog-like creature in her arms a squeeze. It whined and licked her face as if sensing her anxiety.

But Jael just chuckled and gave Thorne a pat on the head, eliciting a growl from the kneazle sitting at his feet. "Professor Gertman's getting on in years. It's no wonder his mind is a bit addled! Now let's get on with the lesson, shall we?"

The students exchanged uneasy glances, but went off with their own creatures.

Beaming with excitement, Winter set down the puppy she'd been holding and rushed to find a stick. Yapping and wagging his little forked tail, the puppy followed close at her heels.

This was the way life ought to be: joy and playing and fresh air all around. No bleeding walls, no evil Astronomy teacher, no aggressive centaurs and no Levana. Especially no Levana.

The principal of Artemisia haunted Winter's nightmares and lurked in the darkest corners of her mind. Winter heard her wails of grief for her dead husband shrieking through the castle halls, saw her cold smile in every painting and the murderous gleam of a sharpened knife in her hands hiding in every shadow. Of all Winter's visions, the ones of Levana were the ones hardest to distinguish from reality.

When Winter was thirteen, she'd been called into Levana's office. It was just after the hallucinations had started. Levana hadn't been wearing a veil at the time, not that it made a difference. She was a lunar after all. She could make herself look like anything she wanted. Winter was lunar as well, though she'd stopped using her "gift" as it was called, years ago, after her father died. A lunar could have done it. A lunar could have forced him to hold the knife that killed him. The knowledge was all Winter needed to be convinced of the true evil nature of her gift. She often wondered if her decision had contributed to her growing insanity.

Winter remembered that office call clearly. She remembered Levana accusing her of not using her gift, of disgracing her father's memory. Winter remembered denying the accusations, of trying to lie. But Levana hadn't believed her. She'd given Winter a knife, the same knife she held as she waited for Winter in the shadows. Three times Levana had ordered Winter to use her gift, three times Winter had refused, and three times the knife had dragged down Winter's left cheek, wielded by her own traitorous hand. Jacin had been furious when he saw the bleeding scratches on Winter's face and had barely left her side since except for lessons and when they had to go to their own dorms.

Winter knew her terror was warranted, though it was greater than even Jacin realised, because Levana was not just Winter's principal. She was her stepmother.

Finally finding a good stick, Winter picked it up and waved it above her head for the puppy to see. "Do you want the stick Ryu? Do you want the stick?"

Ryu barked happily and bounced around, his eyes only for the stick in Winter's hand. She pulled back her arm and threw it deep into the trees. Yapping with joy and excitement, Ryu tore off after it. Winter laughed as she ran after him. She loved playing with the animals. She used to play with Jacin as well, but he didn't like it as much as he used to.

She caught up with Ryu just as he picked up the stick in his small jaws. Tail wagging, he trotted over to Winter and dropped the stick into her outstretched hand.

"Good boy Ryu!" Winter cooed, rubbing his furry head. She drew back her arm, readying herself for another throw… and found herself staring down the point of an arrow.

"What are you doing in our territory human?" Said a harsh voice. Winter didn't answer. She couldn't. Her voice had left her as soon as she saw the centaur standing in front of her.

He had a roan stallion body and flowing dark hair and skin, and his eyes were a piercing silver. Winter wondered if they would stab her to death or if she'd die from the arrow first.

"I said what are you doing in our territory?" The centaur snapped again, but Winter's voice still hadn't returned.

Another centaur came up to stand beside the first one and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now Rowan, she's young and was playing with the small creature. She is no threat to us."

Rowan snorted. "Young, Arion? She is practically a woman! And her ignorance that led her to trespass on our land so carelessly is an insult to us. We have tolerated these injustices by these humans too long. It is time we showed them that we will bear it no more."

Though Winter's voice still refused to work, her legs were much more cooperative. Spinning on her heel, Winter frantically ran away from the centaurs, Ryu keeping pace next to her. She hadn't meant to trespass. Like Arion said, she'd just been playing! She was no threat! She meant no harm! But the centaurs wanted to make an example of her, and she doubted that would be good for her.

Winter ran mindlessly, letting her feet take her where they will. Her mind was steadily breaking into pieces anyway, it wasn't very trustworthy. But as Winter's feet skidded to a stop at their chosen destination, she realised they couldn't be trusted either. She was with the rest of her class. Her poor, oblivious classmates were busy feeding and playing with their creatures, blissfully unaware of the peril Winter has put them in.

The thundering hooves of the centaurs pounded toward Winter. Soon, they would be upon her. It was then that she realised her voice had come back.

"Everybody run! The centaurs are coming!"

Winter's classmates startled and looked at her with wide eyes. But she had warned them too late.

The centaur herd crashed through the bushes and shrubs, already nocking arrows to their bows in preparation to shoot. The students screamed and shrieked in terror, scattering in all directions. Some of them had the presence of mind to grab their creatures before they went, others let them flee deep into the woods without a care. Everything was in chaos, and Winter was terrified. She needed help, she needed Jacin. But Jacin wasn't here. But she needed him here!

Desperate, Winter thrust her wand into the sky, letting broken fragments of random incantations flit through her brain at a rapid pace in her panic. The result was a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of sparks that burst through the tree canopy and into the blue afternoon sky. Winter just had to hope Jacin would know what it meant.

A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders uncomfortably tightly and lifted Winter off the ground. She screamed and thrashed, but their grip was like iron. The hands tightened even more around Winter's shoulders and her terrified cries were lost in a pained gasp.

"There you are, human!" Rowan's voice spat.

Winter didn't answer. His iron grip was getting tighter by the second.

"Do you think you can just trespass on our land and poison it with ravenous, senseless creatures who think of nothing but the flesh they eat to fill their stomachs and the blood the drink to quench their throats?"

Winter was sure she could hear the bones in her shoulders cracking under Rowan's hands.

"Do you think this forest is yours to do with as you please? Answer me human?"

But Winter couldn't. She was in too much pain. She doubted even the medical staff could repair her shattered bones.

There was a shout, followed by a pained grunt, and Winter was released. She crumpled to the ground, moaning and clutching her shoulders in pain. Multi-coloured lights flashed around her and cries of rage, human and horse alike, bombarded her ears. Ryu's wet nose pushed at her cheek and he whined. Another form seemingly materialised beside Winter and a steadying hand placed itself on her hunched back.

"Winter?" said a voice, cutting through the surrounding chaos like a knife through butter. "Winter? Winter are you okay? Come on Winter, say something!"

Winter raised her head and gazed blearily at the face above her. Her vision was blurred and wobbly with pain and exhaustion, but she could still make out his blond hair and blue eyes. "Jacin?"

Jacin breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"Did you see my signal?" Winter asked as she returned the embrace.

"If you mean that rainbow tornado from a few minutes ago, I think everyone in the school saw it." Jacin chuckled darkly.

**A/N: And here is the centaur attack I promised in the description! How long have you guys been waiting for this thing? Anyway, I think it's safe to say that FINALLY! THIS STORY'S GETTING SOMEWHERE!**

**So the centaurs are ticked off because humans have "poisoned their land with ravenous, senseless creatures", whatever that means. Do you guys have any theories? Let me know in the reviews!**

**Side notes: princessesdontcry, I do not have a specific update day, but I can say that each chapter will get posted within the week! (unless I get lazy or have a really busy week)**

**Also, I've got exams coming up. Just a heads-up for the inevitable time when I won't be able to post for a while.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cress**

Cress frowned at the feather lying on her desk. Just a simple levitation spell to start with, that should be easy.

She raised her wand over the feather swished her wrist to one side before flicking the tip of the wand down at the feather. _Wingardium leviosa. _

Just as Cress hoped, the feather rose into the air. Only, instead of the nice, slow float she'd been anticipating, it shot into the air like a Firebolt, bouncing off the ceiling and speeding back down to her desk with a dull thump. Cress winced at the sound. Okay, so maybe non-verbal spells didn't require _that _much concentration.

A light-hearted chuckle sounded next to her. "Who knew feathers could move so fast?"

Cress blushed and didn't meet Thorne's eyes. "I think I just concentrated too hard."

"I can see that." Cress could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice. _Change the subject, change the subject!_

"What spell are you practicing with?" Cress blurted, then immediately felt like slapping herself. Thorne doesn't like talking about school stuff, he talks about pranks and (to Cress's dismay) girls he finds hot.

She chanced a glance at him, expecting to see a frown, or maybe a raised eyebrow at her pathetic attempt at conversation, but he was just grinning easily and leaning back against his chair. "I'm not practicing at all. My wand's dogwood, and they completely refuse to do non-verbal spells, so I'm off the hook for this lesson."

Cress nodded and bit her lip, trying to think of another conversation topic. Merlin's beard she was bad at this.

_I'm a pop star hosting a party and talking to other people is effortless to me._

Cress wrapped the fantasy around her like a blanket, allowing it to pull her spine up from its awkward hunch, letting it guide her hands as they confidently flipped one of her braids over her shoulder and allowing it to pull a relaxed smile across her face.

She glanced at Thorne, who was studying her with one eyebrow raised looking a bit confused. The sight of him almost made her lose grip on the fantasy.

"You were at that centaur attack yesterday weren't you?" Her voice sounded clear and strong to her ears. "What was it like?"

Thorne puffed out his cheeks and exhaled sharply. "Well, it all happened pretty fast. One minute I was just goofing around with my kneazle, Boots, the next a bunch of horse guys armed with bows and arrows were charging all over the place."

"It was my fault."

Cress and Thorne both started at the soft voice. They turned to see Winter fiddling absently with her wand regarding them with her big beautiful eyes. Cress could see the guilt brimming in their warm soft depths.

"I was playing with Ryu when I ran into the centaurs. I hadn't meant to enter their territory, but they still thought I had to be punished for my insolence. My legs started running and I decided to trust them, but they took me to the rest of the class, leading the centaurs right to them."

Cress reached over to put one hand over Winter's. "Don't think like that. You were panicking at the time, and from what I've heard the centaurs consider the entire forest to be their territory. They probably would have discovered your class sooner or later, even without you."

"Yep. Blame the teacher, not yourself." Thorne put in. "That's the rule I live by anyway. And you've gotta admit, Jael was being seriously careless by having us take the lesson in the forest."

"Maybe you are right Thorne." Winter murmured. Cress couldn't tell if she was speaking to Thorne, or herself. "Maybe I should blame the teachers. The centaurs said they were poisoning the forest with savage beasts."

"The forest is already full of savage beasts." Thorne replied dryly.

"It does not have all of them though. Professor Park is nothing if not a beast. I have seen his fangs and claws during class. I think they might be venomous."

Normally, a comment like that from Winter would make Cress stare at her in complete and utter bewilderment, but not this time. She was too busy thinking about the stone that had settled in her stomach. Because, if Winter was telling the truth, the centaurs were angry because the school was putting new creatures in the forest, creatures the centaurs didn't want there. And Cress thought she might have an idea as to what they might be.

The recess bell rang and Cress shot up from her seat, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. That was probably the longest Defence Against the Dark Arts class she'd ever had, thought the ever-growing stone in her gut certainly hadn't helped things along. She practically charged out the classroom door and down the hallway. She ran up several moving staircases and through several hidden passageways concealed behind paintings and statues, finally coming to a stop in front of a set of double doors. Above them was a gold plaque, engraved with elegant script that said: _Professor Sybil Mira._

Cress tensed her shoulders and inhaled deeply, though she had a lot of trouble exhaling. The stone in her stomach turned cold. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she had a funny feeling it wasn't from all the running she had just done.

It took every ounce of courage Cress possessed to raise her fisted hand, and several ounces she didn't have to knock on the doors. A cold, imperious voice spoke from behind them.

"Enter."

Cress pushed open one of the doors slowly, wincing at the loud creak. Sybil sat at her ebony desk, frowning at her. Cress gulped. What in the name of Circe had she been thinking? She couldn't do this! But if the centaurs kept attacking people…

_I am a brave knight who is about to go and slay the dragon._

Stepping into the room, Cress let the door close shut behind her. Sybil regarded her disdainfully. "Well Crescent? What is it?"

"W-well, you remember the centaur attack that happened yesterday."

"Of course I do. It was only yesterday Crescent."

"Um, well, you see, one of the students who had been present said that the centaurs said they were made about, um, savage beasts in their forest."

"Get to the point Crescent Moon, I haven't got all day!"

Cress imagined her face bone-white with fear. She steeled herself. "You-you-you've got to take those beasts out of the forest!"

The words tumbled out of her mouth in an almost incomprehensible jumble. Cress found herself wishing that Sybil wouldn't be able to understand, only her narrowed eyes clearly said otherwise.

"Crescent Moon Darnel," Sybil's voice was quiet, like a snake's hiss. "did you just give me an order?"

Cress's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "No, no Professor Mira."

"Because it sounded a lot like you just gave me an order."

Cress didn't dare move as Sybil opened a drawer in her desk. A small whimper escaped her lips at the sight of the gleaming scissors Sybil pulled out of it, but other than that she was a statue.

Getting up from her desk, Sybil closed the distance between her and Cress in two great strides. "You don't give me orders Crescent." She snarled, "You are, and always will be beneath me. _I_ give the orders. Not you."

"Y-yes Professor Mira. I understand."

"Oh you will. I will see to it."

And with those words, Sybil grabbed a fistful of Cress's hair and raised the scissors to it.

Cress stayed hunched over her cauldron during Potions, not looking at anyone. Grabbing her mortar and pestle, she dropped some occamy eggshells inside and started grinding them into a fine powder. Around her, she could hear student's chattering and groaning with frustration at the difficult potion they were preparing, but Cress paid them no attention. All her focus was on her task.

Once she was satisfied with her grinding, she tipped the eggshells into her cauldron. She then picked up her ladle and stirred the potion slowly and carefully.

"Hey Cress?"

Cress didn't look up at Thorne's voice.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." She whispered.

"Are you sure? You're being really quiet."

"I'm just concentrating, that's all."

Cress blew a little on the flames of her cauldron, trying to get them to rise. She had to heat up her potion.

"So it has nothing to do with your new haircut?"

Cress couldn't keep herself from flinching. Her hair, her long, golden hair that she'd loved and cared for and almost reached the floor. Sybil had cut it. It now barely grazed her chin and the ends were jagged and choppy. It felt strange, unnatural, wrong.

"I'll take that as a yes." Thorne said, obviously noticing her reaction.

Cress sighed and sprinkled some powdered common rue into her mixture. The potion was almost ready.

"Cress, come on, what happened? I can't help unless I know what's going on."

Cress finally looked up at Thorne. He was sitting backwards in his seat so he could face her. His beautiful blue eyes were narrowed with concern and worry.

Cress looked down at her cauldron again, picking up her ladle and stirring the potion vigorously. "Professor Mira cut it."

"Professor Mira cut it?" Thorne echoed incredulously. "Wha-why would she do that? I mean, I know she's a total banshee but what would she get out of cutting your hair?"

"I was insolent. She was punishing me."

"She was-that doesn't give her the right to cut your hair without your permission!"

"It doesn't?" Cress blinked up at him, feeling confused.

"No, of course it doesn't! Why would you think it does?"

Cress shrugged. "Sybil always said that she could punish me however she saw fit."

"What gives her the right to do that?"

Cress blew on the flames of her cauldron one more time before answering. "She's my guardian."

**A/N: Cress's backstory revealed! And her hair's been cut (I originally planned to keep it long until around the middle of this story, but here we are!)**

**Do you guys have any idea what potion Cress was preparing? I swear it was a real one and the steps she was following belonged to the actual recipe. Tell me your guesses in the reviews!**

**So Cress knows what the teachers are doing that is ticking the centaurs off. But what is it exactly? What are these savage creatures? And what revenge will Thorne enact on Sybil? Please review!**

**P.S: Warning: My exams are coming up, so I won't be updating while I'm studying (or at least I won't be updating as much).**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Iko**

For the first time in her life, Iko was glad that she was at school. Finally, some action was happening around here! Centaur attacks? A plot by the teachers? An assault on a student? This was crazy! But also kind of awesome.

It took all of Iko's concentration to keep her hair from turning lemon yellow with excitement as Winter recounted what the centaurs had told her, a task made even harder when Cress (after much encouraging from Thorne) told everyone how Sybil had cut her hair.

"Why would the teachers endanger their own students?" Cinder, who was sitting next to Iko, muttered. "All that's going to do is make parents pull their kids out of the school, and that's not going to be good for business."

Iko shrugged. "The teachers aren't exactly right in the head. I mean, have you met Jael? The guy cares about safety as much as I care about History of Magic!"

"Didn't you fall asleep in the last class?" Cress asked.

"My point exactly."

Thorne leaned back in his chair grinning cockily. "This isn't really a surprise to me. When you've spent as many detentions with the teachers as I have, you realise at some point that they're all evil."

"For once I sort of agree with Captain Stupid." Jacin grumbled, looking not at all happy about it. "Though I'm pretty sure my dad's not evil."

"Wait, your dad's a teacher?" Cinder asked incredulously.

"You seriously never noticed that Professor Clay and I have the same last name?"

"Jacin's family aside…" Iko interrupted loudly. "what are we going to do about this?"

"We're doing something about this?" Thorne asked, looking surprised. "I mean, I'm all for revenge on Professor Mira after what she did to Cress, but I'm not in the mood to go talking to a bunch of angry centaurs."

"That makes one of us. I'm ready to kick some savage monster butt!" Iko cried enthusiastically.

Winter blinked at her, looking confused. "What if it doesn't have a butt?"

"It's a figure of speech Winter."

Cinder scowled at the table they were sitting around in frustration. "I hate to burst your bubble Iko, but if the centaurs could, I think they would have driven out these things already. And I kinda doubt a bunch of sixteen-year-old wizards will have much better luck."

"Seconded." Said Jacin dryly.

Winter grinned up at him, fluttering her eyelashes. "Oh, please Jacin! I want to help the centaurs! It's bad enough that the walls bleed human blood, I don't want to add theirs to the mix!"

Iko grinned and pressed her hands to the sides of her face. Winter and Jacin were so cute! If they didn't become a couple by the end of this year, Iko was going to literally shove them into a kiss.

Cress cocked her head to one side, studying Iko with confusion. "Iko, are you alright? You've gone all quiet all of a sudden."

Iko flicked her eyes to Winter and Jacin.

Cress's mouth formed a silent "oh" and a dreamy smile started to spread across her heart-shaped face. Yes, a fellow romantic!

Shaking off her dreamy stupor, Iko slammed her fist onto the tabletop. Everyone jumped at the noise and Iko constructed her face into a serious glare. "Come on guys, it's not hard! We just have to sneak out of the castle at night, into the Black Woods and track down these monsters that the centaurs are so annoyed about!"

Cinder smirked with amusement. "You make it sound so easy."

"Only because it is!"

"No, it really isn't." Jacin stated. "The teachers take the whole "No leaving the dorms after lights-out rule" super seriously. And did you forget that they are also the one's responsible for this whole thing? We can't exactly drag the monsters' corpses into the school."

"Take it from me Jacin, sneaking out at night isn't nearly as hard as you're making it out to be." Thorne assured him. "I've done it loads of times, and never gotten caught!"

"Great, you're in charge of that then!" Iko grinned.

Cinder raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you seriously just put Thorne in charge of something?"

Cress reached up, probably to fiddle with her hair, then dropped her hand limply as she remembered its new reduced length. Come to think of it, Iko really needed to even out those locks for her at some point. They looked so choppy and jagged right now!

"I-I might have a guess as to what the monsters might be." Cress mumbled. "And if I'm right, they'll only be in the forest at a certain time."

"What time is that?" Iko questioned eagerly.

"The full moon."

A silence settled over the group as what Cress just said sank in. There was only one creature she could be talking about. Iko didn't know about the others, but she felt like a total fool for not considering it already. Ravenous, senseless beasts? They fit the description perfectly.

Werewolves.

"There's no way I'm letting Winter into a werewolf-infested forest." Jacin was the one to break the silence, already edging closer to Winter protectively.

"But you let me go to a werewolf-infested school." Winter pointed out.

"It doesn't count if the werewolves are in human form!"

Cinder raised her hands for silence. Iko couldn't help but stare at the glove covering her left hand. She imagined seeing its soft glow from beneath the thick brown fabric (seriously, what was with Cinder's fashion sense? It's not like there isn't any nice gloves in the world!).

"Am I the only one who thinks we shouldn't be talking about the schools deepest darkest secret _in the library?_"

"She has a point."

Everyone's faces jerked up to stare at the person who had spoken. Kai shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. "We've kinda been eavesdropping the whole time."

""We've"?" Jacin echoed suspiciously.

Scarlet came out from behind a nearby bookshelf, smirking with amusement. "You guys really should have met up in one of your dorm rooms."

"Told ya." Thorne muttered aside to Jacin.

"You were the one who suggested the library!"

Kai pulled up an empty chair and sat down. "So you guys think the school is keeping a group of werewolves in the school and unleashing them on the forest every full moon?"

"Well, it's just a guess, but…" Cress mumbled.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow at him. "You're honestly surprised?"

"No." Kai admitted.

"Did Kai just say something bad about faculty?" Thorne gasped dramatically. "The apocalypse is nigh!"

The next thing out of his mouth was a pained grunt as someone (presumably Jacin) kicked him.

Winter raised her hand as if she was in class and had a question. Grinning, Iko gestured imperiously to her. "Yes, Miss Hayle-Blackburn? Do you have something to say?"

Winter's hand fell back into her lap. "Yes Professor Violet. I was just wondering if we could perhaps enter the Black Woods when the wolves aren't wishing to bathe the moon in blood and ask the centaurs if they would be so kind as to leave us be while we solved this mystery?

Thorne leaned toward Cress and stage-whispered, "Did you understand any of that?"

Cress didn't answer, though her face did turn an interesting shade of red. Iko grinned. Looks like Crescent Moon has a crush on the Captain…

Kai frowned thoughtfully. "What Winter's saying does hold some merit. A diplomatic mission would be a good first step in smoothing over the conflict between centaurs and wizards, or at the very least convince them to target their offenses at those who deserve it instead of just innocent kids."

Cinder smirked at him. "I thought your dad was the Minister of Magic."

"Like father like son." Kai replied with a smirk of his own, though it looked a bit strained.

Thorne rubbed his hands together. "Alright then! Who wants to go into a forest full of angry centaurs and invite them for tea and cookies?"

Winter raised her hand. "I wish to go. I would also like to bake the tea and cookies."

"No way are you going!" Jacin said sternly.

"Actually I think she should go." Cinder interrupted. "And cool your glare Jacin, you know that she's the best option! I swear, even the stairs love her! They always swing to her whenever she wants to go somewhere!"

Jacin scowled. "Ugh, fine. But I'm coming!"

"I'll go too." Kai offered, "I've picked up a few diplomacy tips from my dad."

"Come on guys, there's no way you're getting out of this prison without my expertise!" Thorne said confidently.

Cinder raised her hand. "I'd like to go as well. I want to get an idea of why the centaurs here are so aggressive."

"Why don't we bring Wolf into this too?" Scarlet suggested. "He's good at offensive spells, and judging from that last centaur attack, you guys are gonna need that."

Cinder shook her head. "I see your point, but I think it's best if we keep our group small. Letting Wolf in on it would just put him in danger. Plus, he seems to be more of a "jinx first ask questions later" type of guy. Not exactly the best for a diplomatic mission."

"And I've been practicing my attack and defensive spells." Jacin added, "Might as well use them."

Iko grinned in satisfaction. "Nice! Now all we need to do is work out when we're going to carry this out! I move tonight!"

Cress gulped. "That soon?"  
"Well, it is a weekend night." Thorne pointed out with a shrug. "It's generally easier to sneak around then. The teachers get a bit lax."

"And the longer we wait, the higher the chance the centaurs will attack again." Kai added.

"Then it's settled!" Winter decided with a delighted clap of her hands. "We're going on a midnight stroll tonight!"

**A/N: Planning, planning, planning, but no action! After the last two chapters, that's probably really disappointing. Oh well! Can't have a fight scene all the time!**

**And Iko's the star of this chapter! I bet you guys thought I'd forgotten about her, huh? Not a chance! Iko is awesome! Though I'll confess she probably won't be the star very often in this story.**

**Will the plan work out? Is Cress's theory about the werewolves correct? Will Jacin manage to refrain from killing Thorne during the mission just to shut him up? **

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

For probably the millionth time, Jacin asked himself how he got into this mess. He usually tried his hardest to follow school rules (even the stupid ones) and he worked hard in all of his classes. So what was he doing, wandering around the castle at night with no supervision, about to sneak into the Black Woods, which students were expressly forbidden from entering after sundown? He should've just grabbed Winter and walked out of the library as soon as he saw Thorne there! But he didn't. And now both Winter and he were part of a suicide mission!

Thorne was leading their group of idiots through the halls of the school. Already he'd taken them through secret passages Jacin didn't even know existed. They'd just slipped behind a statue of Marok Blackburn in the Hall of Headmasters and were creeping along a stone tunnel. Jacin squinted as he tried to make out anything in the pitch black of the passageway. He kept one hand on the cold stone wall and the other firmly closed around Winter's wrist behind him. No way was he letting her wander off this time. It was just too dangerous.

There was a reason Care of Magical Creatures was only held on the outskirts of the woods (unless Jael was feeling particularly murderous). They were filled with all kinds of magical creatures, from harmless fairies to dragons. The deeper you went into the woods, the more fearsome and dangerous the creatures became. So the fact that there wouldn't be any werewolves romping around wasn't exactly comforting for Jacin, not when there was supposedly a colony of acromantula living in there.

Of course, if it had been a full moon, Jacin would have probably locked Winter in her dorm and kept her there until sunrise. Werewolves were savage, murderous, bloody creatures, the only one to hunt humans above all else. Jacin still remembered that werewolf attack that happened years ago. He and Winter were staying at school for the Christmas holidays. The school was a lot more lax about enforcing its rules, and Winter had dragged him away from the castle the night of the attack because she wanted to show him the fairies the staff had used to decorate the trees on the fringes of the Black Woods. Jacin had been annoyed about it at the time. He didn't care about a bunch of stupid little winged people that spend their short lives staring at their own reflections! Now, he couldn't have thanked Merlin enough.

The werewolf had been killed by the time they returned to the main building, but the bloodied walls and mangled corpses of students were still there. The survivors were either sitting apart from the carnage staring at the mess of gore lying before them in shock and disbelief, weeping over the bodies of their fallen friends, or weeping over themselves as they clutched at bloody gashes on their bodies inflicted by the beast's teeth. Winter had been inconsolable, shrieking and screaming and crying no matter how hard Jacin tried to keep her calm. She'd spent the night in the hospital wing with the survivors, and Jacin had stayed by her bedside, not allowing himself to sleep even when her wails finally quietened into soft snores. Werewolves were monsters, heartless, soulless beasts. And Jacin wasn't going to let a single one near Winter.

Jacin had to squint against the suddenly blinding starlight that greeted him as he crawled out of the passageway and onto the school grounds. He was between the roots of a weeping willow with tiny globes of light flickering on its hanging leaves. The Star Tree.

He finished crawling out into the open and helped Winter out of the tunnel. The lights of the tree brought out the grey and silver flecks in her eyes.

"Told ya I'd get us out of the castle." Thorne said smugly. "You may all start singing my praises now."

"Why should we? You do enough of that yourself." Cinder drawled in reply.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm so darn amazing!"

Kai smirked. "Thorne's giant head aside, should we get moving? This peace agreement's not going to negotiate itself!"

Thorne shot him a look. "That is probably the most boring pep talk I've ever heard."

"So how should we go about this?" Jacin asked, changing the subject. "The centaurs aren't exactly friendly right now and there's no way I'm putting Winter in danger."

Winter placed a hand on his arm and smiled softly. "There is no need to worry my guard. I won't come to any harm."

Jacin tugged his arm out of her grip. His skin tingled where the warmth of her hand had seeped through his shirt.

"The centaurs had specifically targeted you last time." He reminded her. "I'm not taking any chances."

"Maybe we should just wait on the outskirts of the woods." Kai suggested. "It would be a bad idea to trespass to deeply into the centaurs' territory, and we already know they inhabit those parts."

It was a good idea, and it would keep Winter away from the less friendly creatures of the Black Woods. They all made their way to the forest, stopping in the same clearing Winter had had her Care of Magical Creatures class. And they waited. And waited. And waited some more.

"When are they going to show up?" Thorne grumbled.

Cinder shrugged. "I guess we're just not deep enough into the woods."

"This is the place where they attacked Winter." Jacin said. "It's definitely deep enough."

"Well unless centaurs can turn invisible, it's not."

Winter raise a hand. "I agree with Cinder. We must go deeper. The centaurs might be less territorial at night."

"Alright then." Kai clapped his hands together with a grin. "Onward!"

Jacin wasn't sure how long they walked, just that it was too long. He watched as the trees turned from friendly looking oaks and ashes to twisting shadowy willows, their branches, bare despite the lingering summer weather, like black claws reaching towards the stars.

The dry dirt and rocks shifted and cracked loudly under Jacin's feet. He was sure that all the inhabitants of the forest could hear the noise of the group's steps. Despite the lingering summer heat, the air felt cold as ice. Jacin was honestly surprised that frost wasn't covering the tree trunks.

He held his wand out in front of him, ready to cast any of the spells he'd practiced with Wolf. His free hand was holding tightly to Winter's, who seemed unaware of the forest's growing hostility and hummed to herself cheerily.

"I don't like this." Cinder muttered, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her glove. "Not one bit."

Kai shivered. "That makes two of us."

"Three." Thorne added.

Jacin raised his wand. "Four."

"Oh, don't be so paranoid!" Winter chirped. "The forest can do nothing to us. We're visitors. The forest will have good manners and treat us with politeness."

"The forest has no such obligation to you intruders."

As soon as he heard the cold words, Jacin shoved Winter behind him and thrust out his wand. There was the centaur that had been holding Winter last time, the one Jacin had hit with the Stupefying charm. His silver eyes were narrowed into a vicious glare.

Glancing around, Jacin saw that their little group of five was actually surrounded by centaurs, all with arrows already nocked to their bowstrings

"Found the centaurs." Thorne joked weakly. The next thing out of his mouth was a yelp as Cinder stomped on his foot and hissed at him to shut up.

Kai took a step toward the centaur-wall, holding up his hands in surrender. "We don't mean any trouble; we just want to talk." His voice was calm and smooth as he spoke.

One of the centaurs frowned. Jacin hoped it was with interest rather than hostility. "Why would a small herd of children wish to exchange words with us?"

"It's about how the people at Artemisia have been intruding on your territory."

Jacin felt his eyebrows shoot up with admiration. By pinning the blame on the humans, the centaurs would be a bit more willing to cooperate. Jacin wouldn't have even thought of doing that! How many lessons on diplomacy has Kai had?

"We believe we know what monsters have been released on your territory," Kai continued, "and we understand your need to defend what is yours."

"Then you'll understand why we must water the soil with your blood for trespassing." Snarled the first centaur.

"But we aren't the ones who unleased the monsters on your land! We didn't even know of it before you mentioned it! We just came here to plead with you to limit your attacks to the ones who deserve it!"

"And who would they be?" Inquired the second centaur.

"The staff."

This sounded perfectly reasonable to Jacin (except for the fact that Kai was including his father in the "attack" group) but the centaurs thought differently.

They reared and snorted with rage, hooves kicking the air. The first centaur let loose and arrow which embedded itself between Kai's feet. "You want us to fight against the mature wizards, the ones who know the most spells and potions, based on your claims that they are the only ones responsible for this plague unleashed on the woods? Bah! You are merely trying to ensure our deaths!"

"What reason would we have for lying to you?" Cinder asked, "It's not like we're doing this for fun!"

"Besides, the monsters only show up, like, once a month!" Thorne added.

Big mistake.

"The monsters run through our trees almost every night!" Cried out one of the centaurs. "They trample the Earth under their feet and fight anything they come across for mere sport!"

Jacin frowned in confusion. Almost every night? But that's impossible! Werewolves only show up on the full moon! Then again, Cress's theory could have been wrong…

The thought ignited a small spark of relief in Jacin.

Suddenly, the centaurs looked up at something behind the group. Their eyes narrowed and they raised their bows, aiming them at a single point.

Jacin turned slowly, cautious that this could just be a trick. But the centaurs were aiming at a real thing. It was hard to make out its finer details in the dark of night, but Jacin could still make out the gleam of its sharp teeth and claws and its fierce eyes glowing in the darkness. Smooth as water, it prowled forward, revealing a large body bulging with muscle. Its short snout sniffed the air and its furry pointed ears pricked with interest.

Jacin trained his wand at it, but his mind was too full of shock to think of any spells. The moon was only half-full. So what was this werewolf doing out and about?

**A/N: SORRY THIS IS LATE! I WARNED YOU GUYS, I HAVE A LOT OF STUDY TO DO! **

**The gang made it to the centaurs alright, and Kai is an awesome diplomat. But the negotiations were a total and epic fail. And now, they're face to face with a werewolf even though it's not a full moon!**

**Will the group live to make it back to the castle? Why is there a werewolf out when the moon's not full? Will Jacin really be able to protect Winter?**

**Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder tugged out her wand, eyeing the werewolf warily. Any moment now, she knew, it would pounce and rip the members of their small group to pieces. That's the sole purpose of werewolves after all: to kill humans. And, unfortunately, it was a purpose they were very good at carrying out.

"Does anyone know how to use the homorphus charm?" Kai asked, his voice trembling with fear.

"The what charm?" Thorne replied.

Cinder rolled her eyes while Jacin snapped. "None of us knows the homorphus charm Kai. We don't learn that till next year!"

The werewolf blinked at them with big, bright eyes. If Cinder didn't know better, she'd think it was amused by their banter. And then it did the unthinkable: it yawned and sat back on its haunches.

Cinder's eyes widened with shock. It… wasn't going to attack them? No, it must be trying to get them to let their guard down. But she thought that werewolves just charged their prey and set about killing them without a second thought. Why was this one just staring at them?

"Uh… isn't this thing supposed to attack us?" Thorne asked. "I mean, my grades in DADA are less than brilliant but I'm pretty sure werewolves are supposed to attack people."

"Wow Thorne, who knew you actually learned something in school?" Jacin drawled sarcastically.

"If you have quite finished with your meaningless banter…"

Cinder cursed under her breath. She'd forgotten about the centaurs.

She turned and looked up at the one she thought had spoken. She was assuming it was the silver-eyed centaur. He'd been the most threatening of the group, and he also had an arrow pointed at her face so that seemed like a good indicator of hostility.

"You dare to claim that you had nothing to do with these monsters," he snarled, "when you bring one into our territory with you?"

Kai raised his hands in a placating gesture. "We didn't bring the werewolf with us. We didn't even know there'd be any werewolves tonight! They're only supposed to show up on the full moon!"

"Save your excuses! You have brought this plague into our forest! And for that, you must pay!"

Cinder flashed an accusatory glare at the werewolf. Was it her, or did it look a bit guilty?

Whatever. It didn't matter if the werewolf regretted getting them into trouble, all that mattered was it did, and now they were all going to be turned into arrow pincushions!

Frustrated and angry, she reached down to tug at the hem of her glove, hoping it will do something to help calm her down. Instead, all it did was force her to notice the soft glow peeking out from inside it.

Cinder's eyes widened. Her hand. It was glowing! It was only a matter of time before the other's noticed, and she was not ready for that conversation, even if she was about to die! She didn't want her last image of these people to be the looks of disgust on their faces when the saw how inhuman she was!

Spurred on by her fear and panic, she stepped closer to the centaurs surrounding them.

"What if we promised to get rid of the werewolves for you?"

She could practically feel the others turn incredulous looks on her as soon as the words tumbled past her lips. Honestly, she would have done the same thing if any of them had made the suggestion. But she was scared, she was panicking, and right now she would have offered to become headmistress of Artemisia to keep the centaurs happy.

They seemed suspicious of her, but also a little curious. Their bows lowered just slightly, and they turned to one another, having silent conversations with their eyes.

Finally, one of the centaurs clopped forward. It was the aggressive one. Cinder held her breath, hardly daring to hope.

It felt like eons before the centaur finally spoke.

"Very well. We will allow you to go back to your precious school with your lives if you swear to rid us of this poison. But if we receive even the slightest indication that you aren't making good on your word, then we will not hesitate to snuff you out like stars as they wink out of existence."

And with that, the centaurs broke their circle and galloped off into the shadows of the trees.

For the ten minutes of silent walking that followed, Cinder tried to figure out which of her group members would snap at her first for making such a ludicrous promise, which turned out to be Jacin.

"Are you insane?" He shouted, "We can't rid the forest of an entire species!"

"It was either that or get used as target practice!"

"All you've done is delayed the target practice! Or, if you were actually serious, condemned us to be used as dog food!"

"I don't agree with Jacin on many things," Thorne spoke up, "but I do agree with him on this. You couldn't have just promised them that we'd torture the teachers in retaliation for sticking the wolves in the forest in the first place? I've been working on a few pranks lately that I think would satisfy them…"

"Do you even have a plan on how to get rid of the werewolves?" Kai demanded. Cinder felt a little hurt about that. She'd thought that Kai at least would be able to hold back his complaints.

"No, but I didn't see any of you offering any suggestions! What would you rather I'd said: "By all means, kill us"?"

"Well, maybe we can ask the wolf that's been following us for the past ten minutes?" Winter's soft voice suggested.

Everyone whirled around and, sure enough, there was the werewolf. The most embarrassing part was that it wasn't even trying to hide; it was only a couple feet behind them, and directly in their line of sight. The fact that Winter had had to point it out for them was downright mortifying.

Kai was the one to break the shocked and embarrassed silence that had settled over them all. "I think I know why this werewolf isn't attacking us, and also why it's here even though it's not a full moon. I think I read somewhere that when two werewolves, err, mate on a full moon, their cubs have a near human intelligence. Maybe this is one of those cubs?"

Kai evidently hadn't noticed how the werewolf seemed to shrink in on itself as he spoke, or how its ears flattened and its eyes widened, or even how its lip curled just slightly. It was a little strange seeing these signs on a non-human face, but they were obviously horror, and a little bit of disgust too.

Thorne, also noticing these signs, snorted. "Kai, I think you just gave this poor sap an even greater reason to fear the full moon."

Winter giggled and Jacin rolled his eyes, while the werewolf looked faintly embarrassed.

Cinder smirked with amusement at the animal's almost human discomfort. Some part of her brain was screaming at her to run, that this was a dangerous beast that would be more than happy to feast on her flesh and _why wasn't she running?_

But Cinder just couldn't bring herself to believe that this creature sitting a few feet away from her was dangerous. Not when it was shifting its weight and casting it's gaze around like that.

Kai was smiling too, as he continued. "Okay, so not that then. Well, there's an explanation for why it's not attacking us right now, though it doesn't explain what it's doing out and about tonight. They could have taken wolfsbane potion before they transformed, which would have allowed them to keep their human mind."

Everyone glanced at the werewolf, which cocked its head to one side, like it was thinking. Finally, slowly, unsurely, it nodded its head.

"Why are you in this form out on a full moon?" Jacin asked it suspiciously. The werewolf seemed to hesitate again before scratching at the ground. At first, Cinder thought it was just a nervous action, but then she noticed that the movements of its paws were too focused, too purposeful. It was drawing in the dirt.

She stepped forward eagerly, curious to see what it was going to tell them. Then frowned. She moved to stand beside the werewolf, trying to see the picture from a different angle. Again, her brain urged her to run, but the werewolf didn't move, so neither did she.

Cinder's frown deepened as she studied the image. There was a line a couple inches long with other, curved lines coming out of one end. And Cinder had absolutely no idea what it was supposed to be. A feather duster? A broom? Some sort of whip?

"Do you guys have any idea what this is?" Cinder asked the others. They came over and started studying the drawing from every possible angle, though none of their guesses made any sense.

"Can you write it down?" Kai asked the werewolf. Everyone looked at it expectantly, sure that it would comply. After all, it had already drawn the picture for them. But it shook its head, swiping at one of its ears.

"Why not?" Jacin demanded suspiciously.

The werewolf swiped at its ear again.

"Do you have an itch?" Winter asked gently, "I can scratch your ear for you if you want?"

The werewolf shook its head again and swiped at its ear again.

Cinder's brow creased thoughtfully. That swipe… was it trying to tell them something?

Suddenly, a long, low howl rang through the night air.

The werewolf's head snapped in the direction the howl had come from. With a final glance in their direction, the werewolf bounded off through the trees, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

**A/N: Oh Cinder… what have you done?**

**Our group lives, but now they have to fulfil an impossible quest: get rid of all the werewolves the school's put in the forest. But why did they put them in the forest in the first place? And what was that werewolf trying to tell them?**

**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Kai**

_A werewolf, or lycanthrope, is a human being that has been infected with werewolfry or lycanthropy. This infection is caused by the mingling of werewolf saliva with the blood when the werewolf in question is in wolf form. If the werewolf is in human form, the victim will only develop a few minor changes in character, such as a fondness of rare meat. Any injuries inflicted by a werewolf's teeth and claws, regardless of the werewolf's form, leave permanent scars._

"Already studying I see."

Kai glanced up at Jacin briefly, before turning back to open book in front of him. "We promised the centaurs we'd get rid of the werewolves for them. Learning as much as we can about them is as good a place to start as any."

"Fair point, although I'd argue that all "Hairy Snout, Human Heart" will tell you is that werewolves are seriously depressed people."

"How did you know I checked that book out?"

"I saw you reading it in the common room. Speaking of which, maybe you shouldn't be reading your new favourite genre in public areas. People might start to get suspicious."

Kai raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm serious! You don't think people will wonder about your sudden obsession with werewolves? We haven't started studying them yet this year, and you've never been really fascinated with them before. Eventually, people will start to ask questions."

Kai rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, I'll read in my dorm from now on."

Jacin nodded with satisfaction. "And even better, this way I won't have to listen to you complain about getting ketchup on a library book."

Kai couldn't argue with that. Reading during breakfast has proved itself to be hazardous over the years. The thought was enough to make him close the book on werewolves, protecting its fragile pages with the thick leather cover.

He perked up as a sudden idea struck him. "Maybe I can talk to Wolf about this stuff? You remember, his home gets attacked by werewolves occasionally. He must know all sorts of stuff about their behaviour and all that. Maybe he even knows why that werewolf was out and about on a half-moon!"

Jacin shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You heard what Cinder said: the less people involved in this suicide mission, the better."

Kai nodded his understanding, thought he couldn't shake off his disappointment. Wolf was probably a walking-talking encyclopedia of werewolves. Merlin knows he's no slouch with other dark creatures.

"Anyway, while you're embracing your inner scholar," Jacin said as he stood up from the bench, "I'll be doing some study I know will come in handy: defence and offence. I'll see you in Charms Kai."

Kai nodded and shoved some of his sausages into his mouth, already eying his closed book. Surprisingly, he found some of this stuff in them pretty interesting and, no matter what Jacin might think, infinitely helpful. He'd found out that the only way to seal a werewolf-inflicted wound was to apply a mixture of silver and dittany while it was still fresh, which would definitely come in handy at some point. You can't expect to fight werewolves and not get injured! That's just plain idiocy!

Although, on the other hand, Kai wouldn't have had to consider all this if Cinder hadn't temporarily lost her senses and promised the centaurs they'd get rid of the werewolves for them. He understood _why_ she'd done it, and he had to admit, even now he couldn't think of another way out of being murdered by the centaurs. Still, he couldn't help but think that all she did was postpone the inevitable.

Turning in his seat to look at the Titanium table, Kai searched the rows of students in metallic grey vests and black shirts for her. When his eyes finally managed to pinpoint he iconic messy ponytail and leather gloves, a loud screech from above snapped his attention away from the Titanium table. The post was here.

Kai smiled as Nainsi glided gracefully down to him. He stroked her large feathered head as she alighted herself down beside him, noting with no small amount of relief that there was no letter attacked to her leg or clamped in her beak. That meant his father wasn't getting worse.

Glancing over at Cinder again, he saw one of the school's owls unceremoniously drop a letter on her head. He winced in sympathy. He swore that those birds were trained to deliver their letters in the most irritating ways possible. He'd once seen an owl flying around with a howler so the student couldn't get to it in time before the letter blew up, and he'd lost count of how many students couldn't read the letters they received from their parents because they'd been dropped in their bowls of cereal. Thank Merlin he had Nainsi.

As Cinder opened the letter, Kai couldn't help but notice that her hands were shaking. With excitement? Or fear?

She tugged out the sheet of paper from the envelope and read through it. Feeling like he was intruding, Kai turned back to his breakfast. Somehow, he doubted Cinder would appreciate him staring at her while she read her letter.

And he did try to focus on his breakfast. He tried to shove down his curiosity. And, in his opinion, he'd been doing a pretty good job. But he couldn't help turning around when he heard several grumbles from the Titanium table.

Cinder was clumsily getting off her spot on the bench, knocking into her neighbours and earning herself several glares in the process. She ignored them all and tore out of the hall. And though it might have just been Kai's imagination, he could've sworn there were tears in her eyes.

Grabbing his book, he stood up from his seat as well. Breakfast could wait. He had to make sure that Cinder was okay. What kind of a friend would he be if he didn't? And, regardless of whatever Cinder promised the centaurs, she was his friend.

As it turned out, Cinder could move quite fast when she wanted to. It was all Kai could do to keep even her foot in his line of sight. And the heavy book tucked under his arm wasn't doing him any favours either.

Eventually, Cinder turned a corner and continued her mad charge towards a wall made of gleaming steel. The entrance to the Titanium tower. For Cinder, it would be just like charging into water, but for Kai it would be just a solid wall. A solid wall that would be very painful to run into.

"Cinder wait!" He shouted after her. She came to a stumbling halt mere inches from the wall and half turned to him. Her brown eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"I saw you run out of the Great Hall." Kai explained gently, "Cinder, what's wrong?"

Cinder said nothing. A lone tear tracked down her right cheek and Kai's hand twitched with the urge to wipe it away.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what you're going through." He said.

"There's nothing you can do." Cinder murmured quietly

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

Cinder shot him a frustrated glare. Sighing, Kai placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her stiffen at the touch. "Cinder, please. I want to help. You never know, maybe there's some solution to whatever you're going through that you haven't thought of yet."  
"It's not that kind of problem." She whispered.

"Well, what kind of problem is it?"

Cinder didn't answer at first, and instead just stared at the floor, as if wondering how much she could tell him. Kai didn't say anything. He didn't want to pressure her.

Finally, Cinder sighed resignedly. "You remember that sister I told you about, the one that has a crush on you?"

Kai frowned. "I think so."

"She has letumosis. She moved on to stage three this morning."

Kai inhaled a sharp breath. Unbidden, the image of his father rose up in his mind, his skin covered in red splotches ringed with bruise purple, sweat glistening on his forehead as he struggled to so much as breathe. That was happening to Cinder's sister right now. No wonder she didn't think there was a solution. Letumosis was… well, seemingly unstoppable. Kai should know. He'd read everything he could find on the disease ever since his father contracted it, desperately hoping to find something the doctors had overlooked, something that might lead to a cure. Needless to say, his search had been fruitless. His father had lasted longer than the doctors or even he expected, managing to somehow cling to life despite how fiercely letumosis tried to steal it from him. But Kai had received a letter only three days ago informing him that his father had moved on to stage three. He didn't have long now.

Hesitantly, Kai wrapped his free arm around Cinder, pulling her into a tight hug. He felt her stiffen at the sudden intimacy, but she quickly caved and buried her face into his shoulder. Kai wasn't sure how long they stood there, Cinder sobbing quietly into his shoulder, him saying nothing, only offering what physical support he could.

Something warm seemed to brush at Kai's face, gentle and soft. He glanced around, not wanting to move his head and disturb Cinder, and his eyes landed on a strange glow peeking out from the hem of Cinder's glove.

**A/N: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH THE FEELS!**

**A really tender moment between Cinder and Kai here, and we get a read on the condition of Kai's father. But Kai has noticed the glow of Cinder's hand. Will he try and find out what it is? And if so, how will it affect their relationship?**

**Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Scarlet**

Scarlet rested her elbow on her desk, one hand cupping her cheek as she listened to Professor Clay in the front of the class. This Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson wasn't a practical, unfortunately, and like many of her other classes Scarlet was struggling to reel in any form of interest. Which was unfortunate, since Professor Clay had said that this particular material would be on a test and the exam. Just perfect.

"The Patronus Charm is one of the most ancient charms known to wizardkind, and one of the most difficult." Professor Clay was saying. "It comes in two forms: corporeal and incorporeal. What is the difference between the two? Mr Thorne?"

There was a quiet snort and Thorne's head came up. He rubbed his eyes and blinked blearily at the teacher. "Wha?"

"Mr Thorne, I'd advise you to not fall asleep in class in future." Professor Clay told him sternly.

Thorne just shrugged.

After Professor Clay had repeated the question, Thorne yawned and, voice still heavy with sleep, answered, "One of them looks like an animal."

Professor Clay sighed. "That is technically correct Mr Thorne, but the answer is was looking for was an incorporeal Patronus lacks any sort of shape or form and is weaker than a corporeal Patronus. A corporeal Patronus possesses the form and substance of an animal that embodies a sort of hidden part of the caster. Factors influencing the shape or your corporeal Patronus can be obsession or love. It is also important to note that your Patronus's form isn't set in stone, and it can change if you undergo a major change in character, a traumatic experience or if you fall in love. Due to the difficult nature of the spell, we won't be practicing it until later on in the year, so for now, I'd like you to research the method, technique and history behind the charm."

A sudden round of coughing drew Scarlet's (admittedly little) attention away from the teacher. She frowned in concern as Wolf lowered his hand from his mouth and quietly apologised. He'd been looking unwell all day. It wasn't uncommon for students to get sick, and it clearly wasn't letumosis. Still, Scarlet found herself worrying about the big, scarred boy with a gift for jinxes.

"Are you alright Mr Kesley?" Professor Clay asked concernedly.

"I'm fine." Wolf murmured in reply. Scarlet resisted the urge to deny it.

"Are you sure? You look a bit pale."

"I'm sure Professor."

_Send him to the medical bay anyway! _Scarlet silently encouraged the teacher. _Look at him! He's obviously sick!_

But all Professor Clay did was frown doubtfully and say, "Open your textbooks and read pages 217 and 218."

Huffing, Scarlet obliged, though in her irritation hardly any of the words on the pages registered.

She glanced at Kai who was sitting next to her, hoping to see her own outrage mirrored in his face. But he wasn't looking at her, or even his book for that matter. He was looking at Wolf, eyes narrowed with… suspicion? But what was there to be suspicious of? Did Kai think Wolf was faking sick or something?

Scarlet shook her head in bewilderment and looked back down at her book. It wasn't any of her business.

The words she was reading had just started to actually make sense in her head when another round of coughing snapped her attention away from the textbook.

Wolf lowered his hand from his mouth and kept reading, his startlingly green eyes glued to his book. He's probably read it over twice already. The thought was enough to pull an amused smile across her face.

"Hey Wolf!" she murmured, trying not to catch the attention of the teacher.

Wolf jumped, nearly dropping his textbook and when he looked back at Scarlet she couldn't help but notice that his ears had turned red.

"What do you think your Patronus might bed?"

He blinked at her, looking almost nervous at her question. "I-I don't know."

"Oh, come on!" she smiled teasingly, "You've got to have some idea!"

"I thought Patronuses represented a secret part of your personality that not even you know about." He said with a confused frown.

"Well, yeah but come on! Surely you must have a few guesses!"

He shook his head. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'd probably be a sheepdog or something." Scarlet said airily.

Wolf gave a small smile. "I'm not sure if a sheepdog would be fierce enough."

Scarlet barked with laughter.

Wolf's smile widened, just slightly, before he was overtaken by another round of coughing. As he lowered his fist, Scarlet couldn't help a disappointed frown when she saw that his slowly growing smile had dropped away from his face. "Are you sure you're okay? You're looking pretty sickly."

"Trust me, I'm fine."

"Fine people don't break out into coughing fits."

Wolf pressed his lips together but said nothing.

Scarlet pressed on. "Here's what's going to happen. This period's almost over, and we've got only one more left until break. You are going to go to the med centre during break, or else I'll be forced to give you a reason to go."

Wolf regarded her, eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you threatening me?"

"Maybe."

He blinked at her. Once. Twice. Scarlet glared back.

She expected a protest, an irritated scowl. What she didn't expect was for him to suddenly burst out laughing.

The entire class turned in their chairs to stare at Wolf, serious, stoic Wolf, as he shook with laughter. Scarlet herself was in shock. Sure she'd seen him smile and maybe give the odd chuckle, but never actually lose it like this. If she didn't know better she'd think he'd been struck with a tickling jinx.

His smile was greater than she'd ever seen it, practically beaming. Abnormally sharp teeth gleamed up at her, almost as strange as the simple fact that Wolf was beside himself with laughter. Almost.

More coughs tore themselves from his throat, cutting short his sudden overflow of mirth, though he was still smiling when the fit ended.

"What you don't think I can follow up?" Scarlet asked once she was sure Wolf had regained control of himself.

"No, I know you can." He assured her, grinning. "I just ended up imagining what it would feel like to be hit with Melofors, that's all."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that's what made you temporarily lose your mind."

"It was the image more than anything that brought that on."

Scarlet smirked, feeling laughter bubble in her chest as her imagination constructed the picture. It _was _pretty funny.

A loud throat-clearing from the front of the room jolted Scarlet back to the present. Professor Clay gestured between her and Wolf. "If you two have quite finished…"

The class immediately started oohing and making wolf-whistles. Scarlet felt her face burn as red as her hair, and from what she could see Wolf wasn't faring much better.

Professor Clay cleared his throat again and the class (reluctantly) fell silent. "You're homework assignment is simple: I want you to write down all of your happiest memories in preparation for when we start learning this spell on a practical level, due in next week."

The clanging of the school bells filled the room, and students jumped up from their desks already scooping up their books and stationery in preparation to leave for their next class.

"Remember what you're supposed to do at break!" Scarlet called after Wolf's retreating back.

"Go see one of the healers or end up with a pumpkin head. Got it!" He replied without looking back at her.

Scarlet tried not to feel hurt by this.

A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, prompting a surprised yelp and a furious glare at whoever jumped her like that.

"We also have to do something at break." Kai told her, "Your next class is with Titanium, right? Can you get Cinder then? I'll get Thorne, Iko and Jacin, and we'll find Winter and Cress during break. I have a theory I want to talk to you guys about."

**A/N: Ooooh, a theory! What has Kai found out?**

**The class has learned some stuff about Patronuses, Wolf busted out laughing and he and Scarlet faced full-class embarrassment courtesy of Professor Clay! What do you guys think our main characters' Patronuses will be? Let me know in the reviews!**

**What does Kai want to tell the group? Is his theory correct? Will Wolf dare to defy Scarlet and end up with a pumpkin head?**

**Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Thorne**

"I thought we agreed that it's a bad idea to discuss plans for the school's downfall in the library." Jacin grumbled.

"Well only members of our own houses can get into our dorms and we can't risk any of the staff walking in on us while we're talking in a secret passageway." Kai pointed out logically.

"Are you sure about that man?" Thorne asked him, "I've made many of my prank inventions in passageways, and never once gotten caught!"

Cinder shot him an incredulous look. "And you didn't mention this why?"

"I figured you guys already had a plan!"

There was a muffled smack as Cinder face palmed.

"Anyway, we're not going to be just hiding behind one of the bookshelves like last time." Kai said.

Jacin raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realise that's literally the only place you can hide in a library, right?"

"I meant in the normal sections!"

"So the Dark Section then?" Cinder confirmed.

Winter shuddered and hugged at her arms, as though a sudden chilly breeze had swept over her. "I don't like the Dark Section. I went into it once in my fourth year and it was flooded with blood."

Thorne shot Winter a look. Great, she was talking about blood again. He didn't know what was up with Winter's obsession with blood or why she seemed to think that it was all over the place. But hey, she's still the most beautiful girl in the school! As far as Thorne was concerned, that excused most of her weirdness. And she had a lot of weirdness.

"Nobody likes the Dark Section." Kai pointed out, "That's what makes it so perfect!"

""Perfect" isn't the word I would use." Iko muttered under her breath.

"I'm with Iko and Winter: that place is creepier than a dementor." Scarlet said.

Thorne glanced down at Cress, expecting her to make a nervous comment about the section of the library fully devoted to books on Dark magic. But she was quiet, one hand absently clenching at the air above her shoulder, where there used to be blonde hair. She'd been even more subdued lately, ever since Sybil cut her hair short. She'd even stopped singing in class while she worked. More than anything, Thorne missed listening to her lovely lilting voice. He'd been trying to engineer his latest invention solely for the purpose of punishing Sybil. He'd been working on it harder than he'd worked on any of his previous pranks. But he'd still made absolutely no progress. He'd ask Cress for help, since the girl's an absolute genius, but he didn't want her to get into any more trouble than she already had. Just the fact that she thought it was okay for Sybil to punish her like that… it was enough to make his blood boil.

But, though Thorne would never admit it out loud, he sort of liked the way Cress looked with short hair (which now framed her face in pretty waves, courtesy of Iko). In its previous state of practically-touching-the-floor longness, it was all he could really see about Cress. Now, with it greatly shortened, he felt like he was finally seeing her face. Which, as it turned out, was actually very beautiful. Sweet and heart-shaped, with a smattering of freckles across her nose. He already knew her eyes were blue, but now he could see that they were large as well, like they were permanently wide with wonder.

She was just… beautiful.

The Dark Section was (duh) dark, tucked away from any windows or lamps or any other sources of light. Some of the books appeared quite normal, like _Moste Potente Potions_, but others were wrapped up in thick iron chains, had claws and fangs embedded in the covers and some kind of dark stuff that looked suspiciously like the blood Winter was worrying about splattered on the edges of the pages. Students as young as first years were allowed inside, though most preferred to just flunk their tests than so much as touch a book from the Dark Section. Even Thorne, who knew for a fact that some of these books had defence mechanisms that would make for awesome pranks, didn't dare to check one out. It was terrifying, and gave off some seriously life-threatening vibes, but it was also empty. And that was all they needed.

"So what is this big important theory you have that demands we talk in by far the scariest place in the whole school?" Asked Iko as she edged away from a large volume that was steadily oozing some kind of mysterious black slime.

Kai cleared his throat and addressed the group. "Well, you all know I've been reading up on werewolves to try and figure out a way of getting rid of them, right?"

"Merlin's beard, you are a total bookworm." Thorne smirked.

"Shut up Carswell. Anyway, I found out that in the days leading up to and after the full moon, werewolves start becoming quite sickly. The full moon is only, like, four days away, and, well, Wolf hasn't exactly been in top form…"

Silence followed Kai's statement, broken only by the growling and hissing of the sinister books on the shelves around them. Scarlet was the first to shake off her shock and shot Kai a stubborn glare. "No. Wolf can't be a werewolf."

"He told Jacin and I that he used to live in a community that actually suffered from werewolf attacks." Kai retorted, "It's easily possible that he could've gotten bitten some time during his childhood."

"The guy is scared of werewolves! Remember his boggart?"

Iko raised a finger. "I do! And I also remember that it had green eyes and brown hair, just like him, and even was around the same height and build."

Thorne cocked his head to one side. "Come to think of it, didn't that werewolf we saw have green eyes? And it even acted a bit like Wolf too." He sniggered. "Especially when Kai brought up that werewolves can have cubs."

Scarlet tossed her hands in the air with frustration. "Fine! Let's assume that Kai's right and that Wolf is, in fact, a werewolf. What exactly can we do with this information? You guys said yourselves, that werewolf you saw was only helpful up to a point, and it's not like we can just walk up to him and start asking questions about the school's werewolf-plot. They aren't exactly the most popular creatures in the wizarding world."

"And with good reason." Jacin muttered under his breath.

Scarlet kicked him in the shin. "My point is, Wolf's not going to just up and admit to being a werewolf."

"So… we need more evidence." Kai clarified.

"Yes, because all this stuff we have now is actually circumstantial."

Thorne rubbed his hands together. "That should be easy enough! Like Kai said, the full moon's going to be here in no time flat! We just have to catch him transforming into a lupine monster! Easy!"

Jacin shot him a look. "You do realise he'll probably try and kill us, right?"

"He'll have probably taken that potion Kai mentioned that keeps werewolves sane."

"Thorne, Wolfsbane potion is ridiculously hard to make, and Wolf's not so hot at potions." Kai deadpanned.

Thorne waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, the school'll probably supply it for him."

Cinder sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Thorne's sort of right. The most solid evidence we can gather is actually seeing him turn into a werewolf. I'm not exactly happy about it, since he'd probably eat us alive if we were anywhere near him when he transforms, but it's our best shot."

Kai nodded. "It'll have to be either me or Jacin, since we're the only Regolith's here and the only people who will know if Wolf leaving his room."

"I'll do it." Jacin volunteered, "I've got the highest chance of actually surviving an encounter with a werewolf."

A wail tore itself out of Winter's throat and she latched onto Jacin's arm. "Jacin, no! You'll die! I don't want to see your blood pouring out from your Wolf-friend's teeth!"

Thorne blinked at her. What?

Jacin smiled down at her fondly. "You won't have to Trouble. I promise I'll be careful."

Winter whimpered and pressed her face into his bicep.

"You'll want to bring a mixture of silver and dittany." Thorne jumped with shock as Cress quietly spoke. "It's the only thing that closes wounds inflicted by a werewolf."

Jacin nodded. "Thanks Cress."

Grinning, Thorne slung one arm around Cress's small shoulders. "There's the genius we know and love."

Her cheeks flushed strawberry red and Thorne's grin widened.

**A/N: Cresswell lovers, rejoice! There was a nice chunk of it here!**

**Kai's theory is revealed, and Jacin's stuck with testing it. Will he survive? Is Kai's theory true? What is Thorne's plan for revenge on Sybil?**

**Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

Now, Jacin understood how dangerous this mission was, and he understood that it would be preferable if the mission proved Kai's theory wrong. But if Wolf really was a werewolf, Jacin really wished he'd hurry up and leave his room already!

He'd first posted himself by Wolf's door at around half past ten. A glance at Jacin's watch showed that it was now just about half past eleven. He'd been waiting for nearly an hour and still no sign of the tall sixth year. Honestly, what was taking him so long? Unless he'd already left and Jacin was missing out on sleep for nothing…

When the door finally creaked open and a pair of green eyes peered cautiously out into the hallway where the sixth years lived, Jacin had to stop himself from muttering "About time!".

Wolf's eyes swept over him and Jacin felt his heart drum rapidly inside his ribcage. He'd cast a Disillusionment charm on himself to hide him from Wolf's gaze, but he wasn't very experienced with the spell. He wasn't certain that it would be powerful enough to hide him, especially in such close quarters. But Wolf didn't even blink as he continued to search the hall.

Seemingly satisfied that there was no-one there, Wolf stepped out into the hallway fully. A silver tag hung on a chain around his neck. Jacin narrowed his eyes at it. He'd never know Wolf to wear jewellery before. But he didn't have time to worry about Wolf's choice of accessories. He was already moving down the hall.

As they continued down Regolith tower, Jacin learned something that would surely prove very useful over the course of the school year: sneaking around was _hard,_ especially when you were trying to follow someone. You had to keep up with the person and keep track of their whereabouts, but you had to make sure you were far enough behind the person that they wouldn't notice your presence. There was the obvious element, keeping silent (which turned out to be a lot harder when you had to move at a quick speed) and also you had to make sure no one else saw you and pointed you out to the person you're following. In short, Jacin wasn't keen to go on any more missions like this. It was just way too much work.

Wolf didn't seem worried about all of this though. In fact, as soon as they were safely inside the main building, he broke into a light jog (much to Jacin's dismay. It was hard enough to follow him when he was walking!).

Jacin was shocked by Wolf's complete lack of stealth. Wasn't he worried about getting caught? Jacin clearly remembered the last time he'd been discovered wandering the school halls at night with Winter back in their first year. One hundred points from both their houses and a month's worth of detentions for each of them. Wolf was new, wasn't he? Maybe he just didn't know how bad the consequences were for being up and about past curfew. If it wasn't for the fact that Jacin wanted Wolf to not notice his presence, he'd warn him.

With the thud of Wolf's footsteps echoing eerily like muffled claps of thunder and his lack of caution when it came to turning corners or walking down the stairs, it was only a matter of time before some teacher discovered them. Sure enough, before they'd even gotten to the ground floor, a stocky silhouette jumped out from behind a tapestry and raised their wand. "Who's there?" It was Professor Clay, Jacin's father.

Jacin tensed, sure the Wolf was about to either make a sudden break for it or stumble out a poorly rehearsed excuse (it's what he and Winter did all those years ago). Instead, Wolf calmly replied, "Only me." And removed his necklace, holding up the silver tag dangling from the chain.

Professor Clay visibly relaxed and pocketed his wand. "Full moon tonight?"

Wolf's head dipped in a nod.

"Better get going then. You've got twenty minutes until midnight."

Another nod, though this one seemed a bit stiffer.

Professor Clay disappeared back behind the tapestry and Wolf set off again, slightly faster. As if Jacin wasn't having a hard-enough time already.

He didn't know whether to feel relieved or irritated when they finally made it to the grounds. Good news: no more stone tapping under his feet. Bad news: now he had to worry about twigs and leaves and all sorts of other random stuff that was the enemy of stealth.

Wolf suddenly burst into a full-blown run, sprinting for the tree line of the Black Woods. Jacin tore after him, desperately hoping that he wouldn't notice the muffled thumps of his feet on the grass.

Wolf darted past the Star Tree and Jacin faltered. He wasn't sure if his magical camouflage would translate to the glowing beads hanging from its limp vines. Come to think of it, they looked weird tonight. Every time Jacin had seen the Star Tree in darkness, its globes had a definite golden glow, like tiny, soft suns. Now, they looked silver, more like bright, pulsing moons and… Wolf was almost out of sight now.

Shoving his puzzlement over the Star Tree to the back of his mind, Jacin hurried after his schoolmate, forgetting his worries about twigs and leaves and weird lights. Wolf'll probably just think it was an animal making all the noise. Besides, he looked a little preoccupied at the moment trying to get deeper into the forest as fast as possible.

They sprinted past the nice trees where the leaves where just starting to turn colours and flutter to the ground, to the gnarled naked trees that seemed to be in eternal winter. _Even more moonlight_, Jacin thought to himself.

Wolf started to stumble, only just catching himself on nearby boulders and tree trunks. His breathing suddenly turned laboured and his face looked sickly pale.

Finally, he couldn't seem to run any further and halted, gasping for breath. Jacin didn't think much of it at first. He'd been running, he was tired, this was all totally natural. Except Wolf didn't stop, his breathing didn't ease. If anything the more air he gulped down the more he struggled. And Jacin was pretty sure he knew why.

His voice was the first to change, the desperate gasps twisting into snarls and growls. Then came the fur, racing down his neck and cloaking his skin at an alarming rate. His arms lengthened, and he fell forward so his hands were standing on the ground. No, not hands, not anymore. _Paws_. The growling increased in volume as Wolf's head elongated, forming a short snout. His ears were growing too, morphing into inhuman triangles that immediately started twitching and twisting as though they had a mind all their own. The fabric of Wolf's clothes ripped as they tried to encompass this new shape, giving way especially for the short tail that suddenly sprouted through the material.

The hulking, vicious shape that was Wolf stood there, on all fours, panting and twitching anxiously. It raised its head up to the full moon lying up in the centre of night sky and howled, a long, eerie sound.

Jacin had seen enough. Kai was right, and that's all he'd had to confirm. He had to go, before the werewolf smelled him. He turned away and took a hasty step back in the direction of the castle.

_Snap._

Goddamn twigs!

The werewolf growled and Jacin imagined its ears pricked with excitement as it advanced on his location. He turned around and stared into its familiar green eyes, brimming with ferocious, unquenchable hunger. It was going to kill him. It was going to tear him apart and crunch his bones with its giant fangs. Well, not if Jacin had anything to say about it.

"_Incarcerous!_" He cried, pointing his wand at the werewolf. Thick ropes whipped out of its tip and wrapped themselves around the beast like snakes. It collapsed to the ground and howled with rage as Jacin quickly ran back through the trees. He could still hear its howls when he broke through the tree line and started on his way back to the main building.

**A/N: Alright, it's confirmed: Wolf is a werewolf (is anyone actually surprised?)**

**What will the group do with this new information? How will Wolf respond to their accusations? How will Scarlet react to Wolf's condition? Spoiler: two of these questions will be answered in next week's instalment ;)**

**Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

Wolf stumbled into his room, thanking Merlin for the Regolith black decor. Light colours always hurt his eyes after a full moon.

He tugged off his ripped clothes and tossed them aside, vaguely promising himself he'd throw them out later, randomly picked out some new ones from his wardrobe and pulled them on. He wasn't worried about style, and besides, all of his clothes looked pretty much the same anyway.

Wolf blinked blearily out of his window at the still-rising sun casting its growing light on the trees of the Black Woods. A wave of nausea washed over him and he looked away. Apparently, his body was still getting used to human form.

His stomach growled and Wolf walked to his door, already thinking about the huge breakfast that would already be waiting in the Great Hall. But just as his fingers brushed the door handle, he froze. Memories of last night rushed through his mind like a muddy river, dark and distorted. Struggling against thick bindings that stunk of magic, and a vague outline of a human the same colour as the black trees and dry soil of the forest. There was no way he could have known who they were just from their appearance, not when they looked like nature itself, but their smell… that wasn't disguised. He'd scented it before, on a night where he actually had control over his own body. Jacin.

Jacin knew what Wolf was. Merlin's beard, he saw him transform! Wolf clearly remembered the disgust and hatred that bled from his voice when he talked about the werewolf that attacked the school. And could hardly blame him. Jacin was right to think the way he did, werewolves were monsters, _Wolf_ was a monster. He deserved the hatred Jacin undoubtedly harboured for him now. But that didn't mean he was ready to face it.

Wolf's stomach growled again, but he ignored it. It was dawn, unlikely that Jacin would be down for breakfast. But Wolf hadn't expected him to follow him into the Black Woods last night either. He wasn't taking any chances.

Grabbing the keys sitting on his desk, Wolf quickly locked the door before sitting heavily down on his bed and picking up a book resting on his bedside table.

And it's not like anything he'd eat would actually stay down. Wolf knew that from experience. Four years of experience.

He could still remember the way the werewolf's eyes gleamed when it sunk its teeth into his arm. The hunger, the bloodlust, the _triumph. _And he remembered throwing up immediately afterward. He still didn't know if that was just a side effect, or terror of the werewolf, or revulsion at what he now was. Wolf usually leant toward the third option since it still made his stomach turn.

Several hours and about five chapters of his book later, Wolf's peace was disrupted.

There was a polite knocking on his door, followed by Kai's voice. "Wolf? Are you in there?"

Wolf didn't reply.

He could hear some hushed arguing on the other side of the door, followed by a much less polite, much more aggressive round of knocking. "Open up Wolf, Kai wants to talk to you."

Wolf bit back a groan. Great, Jacin was there too. He probably told Kai what he saw last night.

More hushed arguing. Wolf didn't catch what they were saying, but after a moment of silence he heard one word clearly: "_Alohomora._"

A light shone through the keyhole and, with a sharp click, the door unlocked.

Jacin stepped through first, his eyes narrowing to chips of ice when he saw Wolf. Kai's eyes narrowed too, though he seemed more annoyed than anything. "Why didn't you answer the door?"

Wolf turned the page of his book. "Get out."

Jacin snorted. "Someone's friendly today."

"I don't like it when people break into my room."

"And I don't like it when people ignore me."  
"I thought I made it clear that I want to be alone."

"_After_ Kai talks to you. Come on, it will only take a few minutes!"

"Somehow, I doubt I'll enjoy the conversation."

Wolf glared at Jacin darkly. _I know what you saw. I know what you want to talk about. And I don't want to hear it. Get. Out._

Jacin scowled, but Kai seemed oblivious to Wolf's hostility. "You don't know that. Like Jacin said, it won't take long. I just have some questions to ask you."

But Wolf was done waiting for them to get the message.

He reached over to his bedside table and snatched up his wand. He pointed it at the other Regoliths and snarled, "_Depulso!_"

Jacin and Kai went flying, slamming into the wall with painful thuds. They slid to the floor, blinking at Wolf in shock.

"Now for the last time," he growled, "Get. _Out!_"

Eying Wolf warily, the pushed themselves to their feet and went out the door, shutting it behind them. He picked up his keys. He was going to have to lock it again after that charm Jacin cast.

Wolf heard the footsteps of Regoliths passing by his door throughout the course of the day, but not one of them stopped to bother him. Which was good. Wolf wasn't sure he'd be able to restrain himself from blowing them to bits.

Lunchtime came and went, and his stomach started complaining louder and more frequently. But he couldn't go down and eat. He didn't want to have to deal with Kai and Jacin and whoever else knew about his condition. Wolf could survive a day without food. It would just be very uncomfortable.

By the time dinner rolled around, Wolf had almost finished his book and almost convinced himself that he wouldn't receive any more trouble that day. Turns out, he was wrong. Very wrong.

The next visitor didn't bother knocking. Maybe Kai and Jacin had already told them that it was completely useless. Instead, they blew up the door. Wolf was honestly surprised one of the flying splinters of wood didn't end up in his eye.

"Just how long do you plan on hiding in your room?"

Wolf's shoulder's slumped. Of all the people who could have come in and destroyed his door… "How did you even get in Regolith tower?"

"I wore a set of Kai's robes to confuse the barrier." Scarlet replied. "But don't change the subject! You've been sulking in your room all day and blasting anyone who dares to interrupt you. That's just a stupid overreaction!"

"I did tell them to leave me alone. Several times."

"It's still a stupid overreaction! I know I haven't known you for all that long, but I thought you were better than that!"

Wolf flinched. Okay, that actually stung.

Scarlet didn't seem to notice. She opened her mouth, ready to start on another tirade, but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by Wolf's stomach growling.

Feeling his ears burning with embarrassment. Wolf turned back to his book.

"Have you even eaten anything all day?" Scarlet asked incredulously.

"I didn't want to be around anyone."

"So you decided to starve yourself?"

Wolf shrugged.

Scarlet huffed in frustration and walked over so that she was directly in front of him. Wolf kept his gaze fixed firmly to the pages of his book, though he wasn't taking in any of the words. That strategy proved to be totally useless though when the book was suddenly snatched out of his hands.

Scarlet glared at him fiercely. "Stop pretending to read while I'm talking to you!"

"Scarlet, give me my book back."

She ignored him and glanced at the cover. "What even is this book anywa-" She broke off, staring at the title in disbelief. "Tell me you don't actually read this."

Wolf shifted his weight uncomfortably, unable to think of an answer.

Scarlet shook her head and tugged her wand out of her waistband. "_Incendio._"

She let go of the book just as it burst into flames. Wolf jumped up, reaching for his own wand to put out the fire, but it was too late. Ash and smouldering blackened husks of leather were all that was left of his copy of _Lupin Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live._

He groaned. "Can you please stop destroying my stuff?"

"That book needed destroying. I read a copy once doing research for DADA, and I know for a fact that it won't do your self-esteem any favours."

Wolf stiffened. No. Not her. Of all the people in the school, why her? "Who else knows?"

"Who else knows what?"

"I'm not dumb Scarlet, I know Jacin was there last night, and I know what he and Kai broke into my room to talk about this morning. Who else knows?"

For the first time since Scarlet came to talk to Wolf, she looked uncomfortable. "Not a lot of people…"

"Who else?"

She sighed. "Cinder, Iko, Cress, Thorne and Winter. But that's it, I swear! And none of us are going to be telling anyone else!"

But Wolf was no longer listening. Eight people knew he was a monster. Eight people would be throwing him looks of fear and hatred in the hallways. Eight people!

Legs suddenly weak, he sat back down on his bed and rubbed his face with his hands. Why couldn't Jacin have just kept it to himself? Why did he have to tell Scarlet? Of all the people who knew, it's her hatred he just can't stand. Just the thought of her face contorted with acrimony felt like a punch to the gut. Actually seeing it in real life? That would be a knife in his heart.

The mattress shifted underneath him, and a hand rested on his shoulder. "Hey, it's not that bad. We don't think any differently of you."

Wolf stared at the pile of ash on the floor. Somehow he doubted that.

"I know it seems like the world hates you, especially after reading _that._" Scarlet's voice dripped with disgust as she referred to the book.

""That" isn't the only example of werewolf hatred."

"Well it doesn't surround you like you think."

"Yes, it does. Just talk to Jacin about werewolves and you'll see what I mean."

"Remind me to jinx him next time I see him."

Despite himself, Wolf let out a small chuckle.

Scarlet grinned. "You can still smile! Thank Merlin, I was starting to worry!"

He blinked at her. "Why?"

"You have a nice smile." She said simply.

Wolf's face flushed, and he prayed to Merlin that Scarlet couldn't hear his racing heart.

**A/N: YAY, WOLFLET!**

**Wolf isn't taking Jacin discovery of his secret well, and he's taking the fact that he told other people about it even less well. Thank Merlin Scarlet doesn't buy into all that prejudice stuff! Also, I know how hypocritical she was when she was scolding Wolf, but hey! It at least sort-of worked!**

**Will the others leave Wolf alone like he wants them too? How will they treat him now they know what he is? What kind of jinx will Scarlet use on Jacin?**

**Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Winter**

Winter stared dreamily up at the roof of the astronomy tower. She was supposed to be making notes on the positions of certain planets, but she just couldn't seem to find the focus. How can she, when the stars are too beautiful to take your eyes away from?

She loved the astronomy tower for its ceiling. It had been bewitched to show the stars in detail as they would appear that night, as glowing diamonds embedded into a pure black sky. She enjoyed watching them as they twinkled and winked at her from their perches. Sometimes she heard their voices whispering to her, though she usually couldn't pick out the words.

In Divination, Winter learned that when certain planets glowed more brightly than others, it meant disaster was on the horizon. But looking up at the stars during Astronomy, she just couldn't believe that anything so bright and cheerful could foretell harm. The Astronomy teacher, on the other hand, was much more likely.

Aimery Park was the worst teacher in the school, an opinion that was especially strong among the female students. Winter once knew a seventh-year girl who'd thrown herself off the roof of the school due to Aimery's attentions.

Aimery had felt no remorse over the girl's death and had immediately set about mercilessly snatching other pretty young girls. And it wasn't like they could do much to resist. Aimery was Lunar, and a very powerful lunar too. Once he'd set his sights on a girl, she was already lost. Very few were protected against him: the odd shell (lunars with no gift and were immune to manipulation by their fellow lunars), children of noble benefactors who generously sponsored the school, and Winter herself due to her connection with the headmistress. But this protection only stretched so far. Aimery was a master at finding other ways of snagging students into his disgusting web.

The clanging bells signifying the end of the lesson jolted Winter out of her thoughts. She watched in mild bewilderment as her fellow students hastily gathered up their supplies and rushed to the door. She shot the ceiling one last glance but was disappointed to find that the enchantment was already fading, exposing the white stone hidden underneath.

Following the example of the others, Winter scooped up her things and turned to the door but froze when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Blackburn, may I have a quick word?"

Winter shuddered and tentatively looked up at Aimery's face. As usual, his mouth was curved in a smug smile.

"I-I have to get to Potions Professor Park."

"I won't keep you for long."

"Professor Erland is very firm with late students."

"You can just tell him that Professor Park held you back."

Winter gulped. She really didn't like that sentence.

As politely as possible, Winter pulled away from Aimery's hand and smiled shakily at him. "Okay Professor. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Aimery's smile widened. He was annoyed. "I couldn't help but notice, Miss Blackburn, that you and your friends have been converging in the Dark Section recently."

Winter couldn't disguise the tremble in her voice as she replied, "We are studying for Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"A good habit to get into. Even so, neither you nor your friends were particularly keen on the Dark Section up until now."

"We… thought that it was time we started to make use of it."

"As a meeting place to discuss the werewolves lurking in the Black Woods?"

Winter's eyes widened with terror and Aimery smirked at her, looking smugger than ever. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Scheming behind your teacher's backs. Such terrible behaviour shouldn't be allowed. You should be ashamed of yourself Miss Blackburn, for such wicked behaviour. You and your friends ought to be punished." His eyes seemed to light up at the thought.

Nausea swirled inside of Winter's stomach. What sort of punishment would Aimery dream up? Probably something to do with the lower floors of the dungeons. She thought of little Cress, so small and afraid, shivering in a dark cell and bile rushed up her throat.

Aimery smirked at her, looking more smug than ever. "I could turn a blind eye to your little antics. Your friends can go about their daily lives, blissfully unaware of the fact that their secret conversations have been discovered. Of course, you'd have to convince me to do so." He added, leaning closer.

Winter's heart palpitated inside her chest. Aimery's face was mere inches away and his eyes were narrowed devilishly. There was no need for him to say what was necessary to "convince" him. She could see it in his hungry grin, she could feel it in his fingers as he reached up to stroke her chin. And she hated it. She wouldn't give it to him. Never! NEVER!

Panic rushing through her blood, Winter pulled her wand out of her pocket and shrieked, "_Petrificus totalus!"_

Aimery's smug expression turned blank as a corpse as his lips pressed together, his arms snapped to his sides and his legs joined together. He teetered for a few moments before falling backwards like a large, hateful bowling pin.

Clutching her wand tightly in both hands, Winter took a step towards the door, desperate to get as far away from the monster lying on the floor, but stopped, and thought about what had just happened.

Aimery Park knew about her friends' discussions. She had jinxed him. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered him and undid the jinx. And then he would go straight to Levana and tell her all about what Winter and her friends were planning. Winter thought of her scars, and imagined her friends with blood running down their faces, their own treacherous hands holding the bloodied knives that had cut through their flesh. Assuming, that is, that Levana would even let them live. It's not like anyone would notice their absence. Winter knew that Levana had all of her staff trained in the use of Memory charms. Anyone who'd ever known them would completely forget-

Memory charms.

A Memory charm would wipe Aimery's mind. He wouldn't know about their meetings! He wouldn't' even know that Winter had jinxed him! It was perfect!

Now, who could Winter trust to carry out the spell…

**A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, presenting… Aimery Park! The world's biggest slime ball!**

**Finally, after all this time just hearing about him, we meet Aimery officially (I say that like we actually wanted to), and he knows about what the crew is planning. Will the Memory charm work? What if it doesn't? Why wasn't Jacin here to protect Winter from Aimery?**

**Please review! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cress**

Cress scowled as she tried to cut the Sopophorus bean with her silver dagger. The juice was essential for the potion she was supposed to make. But, to her extreme annoyance, whenever she got close to puncturing the skin the bean would bounce out of the way. And she had to cut twelve of these things! There was no way she'll be able to finish this before the end of class. Well, at least her fellow students were struggling just as much as she was. Hopefully that meant her ineptitude wouldn't negatively reflect on her grade.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open with a loud bang, causing everyone to jump. Winter was standing in the doorway. She was panting for breath. She must have ran the whole way.

"Miss Hayle-Blackburn!" snapped Professor Erland, striding over to her, "Where have you been? You're a good twenty minutes late! I hope you have a good explanation!" 

But Winter clearly wasn't listening. She was looking around the classroom wildly, almost desperately. She seemed scared. But of what? Professor Erland?

Finally, her panicked gaze landed on Cress. Her beautiful features collapsed with relief and she rushed toward her.

"Is something wrong?" Cress asked uncertainly as the other girl approached. Winter didn't answer, only gripped her wrist mercilessly and tugged at her arm so hard that Cress nearly fell out of her chair.

"No time to explain Cress-friend!" Winter cried hurriedly as she dragged Cress towards the door, "Your assistance is desperately needed!"

Professor Erland's face was blotched with fury as he yelled after them, "Miss Hayle-Blackburn, let go of Crescent this instant!"

"Winter please, I don't want to miss Potions!" Cress pleaded.

Winter didn't seem to hear the protests of her friend or the teacher and ran out of the classroom and down the dungeon corridors, a bewildered Cress stumbling in her wake.

Two turns and a staircase later, Cress's sense of direction was hopelessly muddled. Winter seemed to know where she was going, but, well, Winter wasn't always the most reliable person for this sort of thing.

"Please Winter," Cress begged as she was dragged down yet another hallway, "what's going on? Where are we going? Winter!"

"You can do Memory charms right?"

Well, at least she answered this time. "Y-yes, I guess, but what does that have to do with-"

"Professor Park saw us talking in the library. He knows that we know about the plague the school has unleashed on the forest. He said he won't tell as long as I paid his price but it was a disgusting price and I couldn't pay it, so I jinxed him. But Cress, he knows so he'll tell Levana and then the walls will bleed all of your blood and it will be all my fault!" Winter's voice had risen to a wail by the end of her explanation and she had to stop. Cress saw that she was shaking.

Winter took a long, shuddering breath. "I need you to wipe his memory. Forget he ever saw us in the library. Can you do that?"

Cress bit her lip nervously. "I suppose I could in theory, but I've never used the spell in my life! I mean, I know the process, but I haven't actually practiced it. And Memory charms are really, really volatile. I read about the risks of an incorrectly cast charm. I could damage his memory permanently or wipe his mind completely!"

"It would be no less than what he deserves." Winter muttered darkly.

Cress stared at her in shock. Since when did Winter wish suffering on another living creature? "B-but wouldn't it be suspicious if Professor Park suddenly became extremely forgetful? Or couldn't even remember his own name? The staff would know someone cast a Memory charm on him and then immediately start investigating. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of casting the charm?"

Winter smiled warmly and placed her hands on Cress's shoulders. "I have faith in you Cress-friend. I know that you'll perform the spell perfectly. You are very clever and very talented. If anyone can perform the spell, it's you."

Cress smiled shakily, her worries still running through her mind.

"I didn't realise you were so good at jinxes." Cress remarked, staring at Professor Park's immobile body.

"Well, I don't use them very often, but Jacin insists that I must be capable of defending myself."

"Clearly you are."

Cress walked around the body so that she was standing behind the head. Professor Park's eyes were roving in their sockets, sparking with fury and indignation. She glanced at Winter, who smiled and gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

_Obliviators at the Ministry are specially trained for this sort of thing. All I've ever done is read the spell!_

Cress took her wand out of her pocket.

_So many cases of brain damage from spells that were too powerful._

She raised it over Professor Park's head.

_So many permanent residents of magical hospitals suffering from complete memory loss._

She opened her mouth.

_What if I erase the wrong memory? I only know as much as Winter described!_

"_Obliviate._"

**A/N: Sorry this is so short! **

**The spell has been cast, but did it work the way it should? Are the gang's trouble's with Aimery really over?**

**Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

"The noble race of the lunars began with Nero Blackburn, a great and powerful wizard dedicated to finding why the light of the moon affects werewolves in such a way as to turn them into the vicious monsters that have slaughtered so many people on numerous tragic occasions."

Cinder rolled her eyes as Professor Gertman continued to drone on and on about the rise of the lunars. What a load of propaganda! And she was pretty sure that Nero Blackburn was a dark wizard.

She turned to look at the desk next to her where Kai usually sat, but it was empty. It was very unlike Kai to miss a class, but Cinder still hadn't seen him since breakfast. It was worrying to say the least.

She looked up at the teacher. He seemed pretty occupied with all the smarmy lies pouring out of his mouth. He probably wouldn't notice a quick, hushed conversation, would he?

Leaning forward, Cinder tapped the shoulder of the student sitting in front of her.

"What do you want?" Jacin muttered.

"Do you know why Kai's not here?"

He shrugged. "Maybe he's sick. Or maybe he didn't want to suffer through Gertman kissing up to the headmistress."

"He's not sick Jacin, I saw him at breakfast."

"So he has food poisoning. Can you shut up now? I'm trying to look like I'm paying attention."

Cinder glared at the back of his head. "Would it kill you to be polite for once?"

"No, but it also wouldn't kill me to actually listen to Gertman's lecture, yet I'm not."

"Miss Linh! Mr Clay!"

Cinder groaned quietly and looked up at Professor Gertman.

"Would you like to share what you're talking about that's so interesting?"

"We were discussing the impact of moonlight on wizard DNA." Jacin lied smoothly, not looking up from his exercise book.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "In that case, you should be able to tell me how moonlight differs from sunlight."

Thank Merlin, Cinder actually knew this one! "Moonlight is softer than sunlight and more easily absorbed by magical items and beings."

"That's… actually correct." Professor Gertman admitted. "Ten points to Titanium and Regolith for your outstanding work ethics. Now, on with the lesson! At first, only Nero and his children were genuine lunars, but over the course of the centuries…"

Finally. The lunch bell went and Cinder gratefully packed away her things and left the classroom. She hurried to the Great Hall, but instead of heading towards the Titanium table like usual, she went to the Gold table.

Since Jacin had turned out to be completely useless when it came to finding out what was going on with Kai, Cinder figured that the next step was to ask Thorne. They seemed to be pretty good friends, maybe he knew why he was ditching class.

"Cinder!" Thorne called, grinning at her, "What's up?"

"Hey Thorne. Do you know why Kai didn't show up in class today?"

He shrugged. "Nope."

Cinder cursed under her breath. "Do you know anyone who might know?"

"Yeah, Kai."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What, it's a valid suggestion! Look, he's probably in Regolith tower, right? Just go there and ask him!"

"I'm not a Regolith Thorne." Cinder told him slowly, as though she were speaking to a toddler, "The barrier won't let me through."

He waved this off. "Ah, you just have to borrow a cloak off some Regolith, that usually is enough to trick it. I mean, it's a wall for Merlin's sake Cinder! Walls aren't very smart."

"Did you just call yourself a wall?"

"Oh, ha ha ha."

Cinder fidgeted uncomfortably with Jacin's cloak as she neared the black regolith wall. _It's just like getting onto platform 9¾, _she told herself, _or going into your own dorm. The wall's just made of a different material. _

Wrapping the cloak tighter around herself to better conceal the colours of her titanium uniform, she ducked her head and stepped through the wall.

Already it felt completely wrong. Walking through the Titanium wall, or the barrier at King's Cross felt like walking through air. But the Regolith barrier seemed to know something was wrong with this latest intruder, but it just couldn't place what. It felt like walking through suspicious molasses. Cinder held her breath, instinct telling her that breathing in this stuff would not be a good idea.

It was a struggle to push through to the other side of the barrier. The air felt strangely empty after the confining regolith. Her face broke through and she gasped for air.

Finally, she fell out onto the black bridge that led to Regolith tower. Her body shook, with exhaustion and she panted, welcoming the sweet, sweet oxygen into her burning lungs.

Struggling to her feet, Cinder dusted herself off and stared up at the shining black tower at the other end of the bridge. It looked a bit foreboding on the outside, but maybe inside it was nice and cosy.

The inside was _not_ cosy, and _not _nice. The walls were painted black and a plush black carpet sunk under Cinder's weight as she walked across it. The fireplace was built out of regolith and the sofas and tables were blinding white. It was like standing inside of a chess set.

Cinder walked up the black and white stairs to the boy's dormitories, trying to fight the urge to look out the windows into the world of colour outside.

Finally, she came up to the sixth floor. She strode quickly down the hallway, scanning the names written on the doors as she passed them.

_Liam Kinney_

_Jerrico Solis_

_Jacin Clay_

_Ze'ev Kesley_

_Kaito Royal_

She stumbled to a stop in front of the door with Kai's name on it. Suddenly nervous, She curled her fingers into a fist and raised it in front of the polished white wood.

"There's nothing wrong with worrying about a friend." Cinder muttered. And knocked.

She waited a few moments for an answer from within. When there was none, she knocked again. Still nothing. Sighing, Cinder turned away and started back down the hallway. Maybe she'd been overreacting. Kai had never missed a class before, but that didn't mean he couldn't miss a class ever. He was probably sick, like Jacin said, and staying in the med centre for the day. He was probably doing all of his catch-up work right no-

A loud creak snapped Cinder out of her thoughts. She turned on her heel and watched dumbly as Kai's door slowly opened. A head peered out through the opening and looked around, eyes widening with surprise as it's gaze found Cinder. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. You didn't show up in class today and I was worried."

Kai rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm dealing with a lot of stuff right now."

"Anything I can do?"

He shook his head. "No, no I don't think so."

Cinder tilted her head. "You know, I said the same thing when you were asking about my sister Peony."

His mouth twitched. "I think it was a bit more angry when you said it."

"You know what I mean."

Kai sighed and met her gaze for the first time. His copper brown eyes had gone bloodshot and puffy. He blinked and a small tear traced down his cheek.

Cinder wiped it away with a single gloved finger and opened her arms. "Come here."

Kai stepped forward and hugged her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I-I got a letter from the hospital this morning." His said, his voice suddenly shaky, "About my dad. He-he's dead Cinder. He d-died this morning."

A lump formed in Cinder's throat. "I'm so sorry."

Kai didn't reply, but Cinder could feel his tears against her neck.

Neither said a word for a while after that. The bells rang, signalling the end of lunch, but Cinder didn't move. Kai needed her right now; he needed her more than she needed a couple lessons. And she was going to stay with him.

Eventually, he pulled away and wiped away the tears lingering on his eyes. He was smiling. "Thanks Cinder. For… coming to see me."

She smiled back at him and shrugged. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Friends?"

Something about the way he said it made her pause. She became very aware of just how close he was, and of her hands still resting on his shoulders. Her heart pounded in her chest and her magical hand and leg started to feel painfully hot.

Kai's head tilted forward, just slightly. His gaze flicked down to her lips. And then… pain. Racing through her nerves and boiling the blood in her veins.

Cinder opened her mouth to scream and sparks singed her tongue. Her left glove erupted into multicoloured fire. The last thing she saw before darkness closed over her vision was Kai's face, pale and contorted with fear and panic.

**A/N: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH YOU GUYS WERE SO CLOSE TO SEEING KAIDER KISS! Man, I really suck.**

**Anyway, Kai's dad has finally died and Cinder was the one who went and comforted him. And then she panicked and passed out from the agony of her magical body pretty much malfunctioning. Will Cinder be okay? How will Kai react to this? Will I be able to survive long enough to post the next chapter before you guys kill me?**

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Kai**

Cinder lay still on the hospital bed. Her skin was unnaturally pale and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead. Occasionally, she'd gasp and pant and a faint light would shine somewhere in the depths of her throat. Whenever that happened, Kai would grab her hand and squeeze it tightly, praying silently that she would be alright.

The nurse wrung her hands in terrified bewilderment. "I'm sorry but I just can't tell what's wrong with her. I've worked at this school for years and have seen all manner of injuries, magical and otherwise, but nothing like this!"

"Do you at least have some idea on how to treat her?" Kai asked her desperately.

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I'm as confused about this as you are."

"Well then, is there anyone else in the school who might not be?"

The nurse frowned. "I don't think-"

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she gasped as a thought struck her. "Professor Erland! He was once a doctor, and a very successful one at that! Maybe he'll be able to figure out what's wrong with her."

That was all Kai needed to hear. "Go get him then!" he shouted.

The nurse nodded frantically and tore out of the room.

Sighing, Kai buried his face in his hands. If his father had seen that, Kai would have had the scolding of his life. He was very big on respect. He used to say that, without respect, society would collapse. Personally, Kai thought that was a little extreme, but his father always seemed to believe it wholeheartedly.

Not that it mattered now, anyway. Not since this morning. Kai's father would never again drill into him the value of respect for others, or help him with his holiday homework, or whisper jokes about the ministry officials in his ear. Never again would the two of them go to the garden to pick out new flowers to decorate mother's grave. Never again would Kai's father do anything except lie in a coffin buried a foot beneath the earth, silent and still.

The thought was just as crushing now as it was that morning, when Kai read the letter from Phoenix Hospital. He left the Great Hall feeling empty, devoid of emotion and thought. Somehow he found himself in his room. And then grief made itself known, a dark, heavy weight settling in the space in Kai's heart that used to be filled by his father.

He could barely remember the next few hours. He remembered crying. His eyes had stung as the salty droplets pooled and dug tracks down his cheeks. He thought he might have screamed a few times, judging from his sore throat, and his knuckles hurt. Maybe he'd punched the walls?

It felt like he'd been in his room for less than an hour. The clock in the infirmary said it had been most of the school day.

Kai wasn't sure when, if left to his own devices, he'd leave his room, or even if he'd leave his room. And he'd never be sure, thanks to Cinder.

The first time she knocked, he'd figured he'd imagined it. After all, why would anyone want to see him, said his grief-ridden brain.

After the second round of knocking, he knew he wasn't imagining things, but he still hesitated to answer the door. He didn't really want to talk to anyone, and what Regolith would actually bother to check in on him? Wolf? He'd been avoiding Kai ever since that episode the day after the full moon. Jacin? He definitely wasn't the comforting type. The idea that Cinder would be on the other side of the door, wearing an oversized Regolith cloak, hadn't even occurred to him.

She'd been a bigger help than Kai thought. It felt good to have a shoulder to cry on, to have someone to talk to. For the first time that day, he'd felt… good. Confident. Maybe, Kai thought with a slight blush, a little too confident.

It's just-she was so close and he really, really liked Cinder and he thought, in that moment, that maybe she liked him. But as soon as Kai leaned in, she fainted. If you could call it fainting when she was on fire and screaming in pain.

He glanced at her prone body, and his gaze fell on her left hand. The smouldering remains of her glove still hung around her wrist, but now did nothing to disguise the strange, tinted light that pulsed around the skin and through the veins. Under the thin hospital blanket, Kai could see the glowing form of her left leg as well.

He wondered what they were, why they glowed like that, and why Cinder seemed to think she had to hide them. After all, they were just glowing limbs as far as Kai could tell. Nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe there was something else about them that she felt was worth hiding? But the most dangerous thing Kai had ever seen them do was catch fire, and that seemed pretty involuntary.

He reached out and took the hand. It felt completely normal.

A loud bang forcibly shoved Kai out of his thoughts and he instinctively let go of Cinder's hand. The tall, willowy form of Professor Erland came striding over to the bed. He knelt down beside Cinder and placed a palm on her forehead.

"What happened?" He asked Kai. He sounded slightly hysterical.

Kai swallowed, wondering how much he should tell. "I-I think she just got really stressed and then she started screaming and her hand and leg caught fire and then she fainted."

Professor Erland cursed under his breath and picked up Cinder's glowing hand, turning it this way and that as he examined it. "Has she shown any other strange symptoms since being brought here?"

"Sometimes her throat glows a little."

Professor Erland muttered to himself, peering down Cinder's throat, poking at her hand with his wand and checking her pulse. Kai could only watch him work, feeling awkward and useless as the teacher checked Cinder's vitals.

Finally, he lifted Cinder's head off the pillow and dragged his wand along the back of her neck. Wherever it touched, sparks would appear beneath Cinder's skin, crackling around her spine.

Professor Erland nodded, seemingly satisfied, and rested Cinder's head back on the pillow. "You'd better go Kaito. I believe you have a lot of make-up work to pick up."

"What about Cinder?"

"She'll be fine. I expect she'll be up and about again by dinner. Now go."

Kai cast one last look at Cinder's sleeping face. He wanted to kiss her on the forehead, to wrap his arms around her shoulders in a farewell hug. Even just a quick squeeze of her hand would satisfy him. But not with Professor Erland watching, and not without knowing how Cinder would react if she found out. So he settled for a quick nod in Professor Erland's direction and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

**A/N: Poor Kai… maybe next time.**

**We've see the events of last chapter from Kai's point of view, and gained a whole bunch of new questions for what's up with Cinder. Why did her spine glow when Professor Erland's wand touched it? Will Kai ever get the chance to kiss Cinder?**

**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to stay in sweet black oblivion, lying on a comfortable bed in absolute silence. Every muscle ached and her throat was sore from… screaming? Her thoughts were all muddled.

Something prodded Cinder's side. "Come on Linh," said a vaguely familiar voice, "you've had enough beauty sleep. Time to get up."

Cinder groaned and turned away from the voice and its prodding. Whatever time it was, it wasn't time to get up.

There was a frustrated sigh, and the sound of smart steps walking away.

Cinder allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Finally, peace and qui-

Something cold and wet splashed across her face. Instinctively, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, gasping for air.

Turning to face the culprit of her rude awakening, Cinder found herself glaring at a long, willowy form staring down at her with ice blue eyes.

"Good, you're alive." Professor Erland remarked dryly, putting down the cup he was holding. "I was beginning to wonder."

"Glad to see you're so concerned about my wellbeing." Cinder grumbled, ineffectively wiping at the water on her face with her hand.

"Believe it or not, I _was_ worried. The nurse just burst into my classroom in the middle of a lesson screaming about a case she'd never seen before. And as a nurse working for a magical school full of irresponsible young witches and wizards, I'd have thought she'd seen everything."

"And I'm guessing by the fact that I'm still alive that you knew what was wrong?"

""Know" isn't the word I would use."

Cinder scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I had a theory as to what was wrong, but I wasn't sure if it was the correct theory. Thankfully, it was."

"Care to enlighten me?" she asked impatiently. She was fast growing tired of this conversation.

Professor Erland tilted his head and frowned. "Well, let's start with what was wrong with you, shall we? To put it simply, your magical abilities, how do muggles say it? _Malfunctioned._"

"Malfunctioned?" Cinder echoed incredulously.

"It means they stopped working the way they should."

"I know what it means! But how can magic malfunction? It's… magic! Magic isn't a machine, it can't break!"

"No," conceded the teacher, "but it can go wrong."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at him. "Care to clue me in on when I can start following all this?"

"It should become much more apparent soon. Given your unique appendages, I'm sure you've noticed that emotions have an impact on magic?"

Cinder's eyes widened and she glanced down at her left hand resting comfortably on the blankets. Sure enough, it was glove-free. Blackened strips of fabric and thread hung limply around the fingers and wrist, feebly hiding the naked glow that pulsed freely from the skin. A quick peek under the blankets revealed her leg to be in a similar state.

A flash of memory burst in Cinder's mind. Her leg and hand on fire, a horrible pain, and… Kai. Kai was there. He had seen what Cinder truly was. After so much worry, the inevitable had finally happened. And just when he was about to…

No, she couldn't think about that. Not now.

She wanted to groan and pull the blankets over her head, never to surface above the protective sheet of fabric. But with the threat of Professor Erland simply ripping the blanket away from her grasp looming over, she settled for anxiously twisting the material in her fists.

Professor Erland stared at her, still waiting for an answer.

"…They glow brighter when my emotions are strong. Like if I'm really scared for instance."

He nodded. "As to be expected. I myself have done extensive research on the subject of the magic making up your prosthetics, and have found that, depending on the purpose of the magic, it will react differently to different emotions or will create a more intensive reaction overall no matter the emotion. In your case, I believe the issue had to do with the former."  
Cinder frowned, trying to gather her muddled thoughts. "I think I remember the prosthetics catching fire."

"Oh, I wasn't referring to that."

"But these are the only parts of me that are made of magic!" Cinder protested.

"Yes, but this particular brand isn't limited to the replication of limbs. Rather, to the alteration and support of biological functions."

"Right, and what would that be in English?"

Professor Erland sighed in frustration. "It helps your body work."

"Okay, sort-of following again."

Professor Erland turned around and tapped the back of his neck. "The magic that caused you to black out was a current that was centred on your spinal cord, but I believe that it's influence spreads all over your nervous system, hence the spontaneous combustion of your prostheses."

Cinder rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the bumps of her spine. She imagined the bone glowing with the same light as her hand and leg and shuddered. "So what does this brand of weirdness do? Make my prostheses work?"

"Possibly, but I believe it's primary function is of an entirely different nature."

"The suspense!" Cinder muttered sarcastically.

Ignoring her, Professor Erland continued, "There are some branches of magic, such as legilmency, that are directly linked to the mind. Through my research, I have found that the only way to successfully repress abilities such as these without any negative consequences would be through the nervous system. This is the function I believe is reserved for this particular magic."

"So… it stops me from becoming an obscurial?" Cinder asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"Do you know about the power of the lunars, Miss Linh?"

Cinder blinked at him in surprise. Was this going to turn into yet another propaganda session? "They can manipulate people, controlling their thoughts, emotions and bodies."

"Precisely. And do you know how this power originated."

Cinder screwed up her face, trying to remember that day's history lesson. For the first (and probably last) time, she wished she'd listened to the fountain of lunar praise. "Something about moonlight?"

"Yes. Nero Blackburn, the first lunar, discovered a way to merge pure moonlight with his own being, giving him the so-called "lunar gift". This power was passed along to his offspring and in time grew to encompass an entire community. However, the suppression of this gift will lead to the lunar in question developing what is known as "lunar sickness". Long story short, they go mad and experience horrifying hallucinations."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with my magic nervous system?" Cinder asked.

Professor Erland sighed, and he looked almost sympathetic as he regarded her. "Think Miss Linh. The magic that caused you to black out stops the disuse of mind-related magic from affecting you. What could be more mind-related than the lunar gift?"

Cinder gaped at him, shaking slightly with disbelief. Feeling suddenly faint, she fell back onto the bed, staring dumbly at the stark white ceiling. Her? A lunar? How? It wasn't possible! She was just Cinder, a muggle-born nobody with a freaky hand and leg! She couldn't be a lunar. She couldn't be one of those manipulative selfish monsters! She just couldn't…

**A/N: And there it is, the moment you all knew was coming.**

**Finally, 26 chapters in we get wind that Cinder is lunar. How will she handle this news? Will she remain in denial about her own species for long? And how will this impact her relationship with Kai? **

**Please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

Another handful of students rushed into the Transfiguration classroom, panting for breath and pale as ghosts. Jacin didn't have to look to know that they were already opening their mouths to stammer out useless apologies and excuses. Today, they were wasting their breath even more than usual, since Professor Mira was even later than they were. Class had officially started ten minutes ago and there was still no sign of the tall witch. Not that Jacin was complaining. The woman was a total hag.

He polished off the last sentence of his charms essay and slipped the paper into his textbook. That was the last piece of homework he had with him, and he wasn't about to risk two weeks detention going to pick up some more. He would have to find something else to keep him occupied.

Jacin turned to the student sitting next to him. "Hey Kai, can I borrow one of your books? And don't pretend you don't have any, I know for a fact you always carry some novel with you to lessons."

Kai didn't answer. He was scowling at his desk, his eyes narrowed with thought and confusion.

Jacin rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers in front of his nose. The other Regolith yelped with surprise and blinked rapidly.

"Good, you're back on earth." Jacin grumbled, "Now give me a book, I'm bored."

"I don't have a book with me."

"And Sybil Mira has a heart of gold. Hand it over Royal."

Sighing, Kai fished through the stack of books piled under his desk, finally tossing a volume onto Jacin's. One look at the cover was enough to make him wrinkle his nose with distaste. Seriously? Was this really Kai's idea of good reading material or just his idea of a joke? Probably the former. It would be just like Kai to read _A Complete History of Magic_ for enjoyment. Of all the people Jacin had to sit next to, did it have to be a wannabe scholar?

He shot Kai a glare. "Thanks, this will be the perfect cure for my boredom."

"Well, the other options are pretty much more of the same." Kai told him.

"Are they all as thick as this one? Knocking Thorne out will definitely improve my mood."

Kai tugged the book out of Jacin's hand. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to lend them to you now."

Groaning, Jacin slid down in his seat, staring with half-closed eyes at the empty teacher's desk. He almost wished Professor Mira would arrive. Almost.

"Can I get your opinion on something?" Kai suddenly asked him.

Jacin glanced at him. "Is it on something stupid?"

"Uh, no?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Kai huffed. "It's not stupid! It's about the wellbeing of a fellow student!"  
"You want to talk about Cinder."

"Yes." He admitted.

"Not when I don't have my barf bag with me."

"I'm not going to gush about her!"

"What, like you weren't gushing about her at breakfast this morning?"

"You said you were bored didn't you? It's talking to me about Cinder or staring at the wall."

"I'll take staring at the wall."

"You don't have a choice."

Jacin sighed. Forget wannabe scholar, Kai was a lovestruck moron. "Fine, but try not to let it drag on or I will stuff my Charms homework in your mouth."

Kai smirked briefly at him, but his smile faded almost as quickly as it came, a frown growing in its place. "I'm worried about Cinder. She's been acting weird ever since she fainted."

"Why don't you talk to her about it instead of wasting my time?" Jacin grumbled

"You're not doing anything else right now are you? And I've tried to ask her, but every time I approach her she walks away!"

"So you did something wrong that made her uncomfortable or whatever. It's not Arithmancy Kai."

His copper eyes stretched wide with horror. "Wait, you think she's acting weird because of something I did?"

Jacin shrugged. "Well, she hasn't exactly been avoiding the rest of us from what I can see. I saw her chatting openly enough with Iko earlier today."

Kai moaned and rested his forehead on the table, muttering to himself miserably.

Jacin raised an eyebrow at him. He'd never pegged Kai as a dramatist, but this was ridiculous! "It's not that big a deal, just go and apologise to her next time you see her."

"Oh yeah, that's totally easy when she's avoiding me at all costs!"

Jacin shrugged. "Figure something out. I'm not playing matchmaker for you."

"Couldn't there be any other reason?" Kai asked him desperately, "Anything?"

Jacin clenched his jaw with annoyance. Mental note, bring all of your homework to class next time so you don't have to play life-coach. Seriously, why did he have to be the one to handle Kai's personal problems?

Well, he might as well humour him if that will get him to shut up. "Fine. Maybe she's finally realised that her promise to the centaurs was stupid and impossible and she's just as good as sentenced the rest of us to death? We're already a whole month into the school year. Only one more and it's the Christmas holidays. The centaurs aren't going to wait forever."

Relief glimmered in Kai's eyes. Was the idea of being murdered by centaurs honestly more appealing than upsetting Cinder? This guy's priorities were seriously misplaced. "Not totally impossible. We just have to take it one step at a time."  
"The steps don't exist Mr Optimism."

"Except for the first one. The school's found some way of making the werewolves change form early, right? All we have to do is find out how they're doing that, and how to stop it."

"He said, like it was actually possible."

"It is! Are you forgetting that we happen to know one of the werewolves in question?"

Jacin glanced back at Wolf, who was twitching and fidgeting ceaselessly. "Are you forgetting that that particular werewolf has been avoiding us like we have the plague?"

Bad choice of words.

Kai flinched and Jacin felt an unexpected sting of regret. He knew why Kai had skipped school yesterday. He'd realised when he heard Kai dance delicately around a proper answer whenever anyone asked him if he was alright. And it wasn't hard to figure out just what had called Rikan Royal to an early grave.

Shaking off the painful memory, Kai called up a cocky grin. "Not all of us." His gaze flicked pointedly over to Scarlet, who had long since fallen asleep and was snoring loudly as she lay on her desk.

Jacin shot the redhead a glare. "If you want her to grill him for information, you're going to have a hard time of it."

"What makes you say that."

"She's acting like a mother hen towards Wolf. I already tried asking her to talk to him because she's the closest to him, and she just yelled at me a bunch of junk about respect for privacy and all that. And put flobberworm mucus in my pumpkin juice when I wasn't looking."

"I'm sure she'll come around once we explain the seriousness of the situation." Kai said confidently, "Wolf probably knows all about the school's thing with the werewolves. If we can just ask him-"

The classroom door flew open with a bang, cutting him off. Jacin instinctively turned to the source of the noise and scowled furiously at the smug figure striding across the room.

Professor Park wove between the desks, firing sparks at the students who had fallen asleep, including Scarlet. She yelped in pain as the points of light zapped her freckled skin and glared at the teachers back, vengeance glittering in her eyes.

Satisfied that he had every student's attention, Professor Park stepped up to the front of the classroom, his cloak sweeping dramatically as he turned to face the class.

Pity Jacin couldn't glare and roll his eyes at the same time.

Professor Park's gaze swept over the young witches and wizards like a vulture eyeing its prey. "Good morning class. Unfortunately, Professor Mira won't be teaching class today so I will be your substitute teacher."

Thorne snorted in suppressed laughter. He looked very pleased with himself.

Professor Park's brow crinkled as he looked at him, for once not so much angry as… confused. But what was so confusing about Thorne pulling a prank?

**A/N: Ah, I've missed Jacin's sarcasm.**

**The gang has got a load of problems on their hands. They have made zero progress on defeating the werewolves, their one source of information isn't cooperating, their only friend who can get him to cooperate isn't cooperating, and Cinder's acting weird for reasons absolutely no one knows except you guys. How will they deal with this flood of dilemmas? Why was Aimery confused when he looked at Thorne? When will we get some action in this story?**

**Please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Scarlet**

"You want me to interrogate Wolf?" Scarlet asked Kai.

""Interrogate" isn't the word I would use. Just… question him."

"That's interrogation Kai!"

"Interrogation makes it sound like you're going to force him to talk. All you have to do is ask him questions."

"Like we haven't invaded his privacy enough already." Scarlet muttered under her breath

"We've never invaded his privacy!" Kai exclaimed.

"We literally sent someone to follow him and find out his deepest darkest secret."

Kai scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, I guess when you put it like that we have kinda invaded his privacy…"

"Kinda?"

"But this isn't about Wolf's personal feelings anymore Scarlet. I am not exaggerating when I say that it's life or death if we don't follow through on this promise to the centaurs. Wolf knows more about the werewolf situation than anyone besides the teachers, and he's probably the only one who'll be willing to help us."

"What about Professor Clay? Or my grand-mère? They wouldn't be happy about forcing werewolves to shapeshift prematurely."

"Yes, which is why their knowledge of the situation will be limited. The higher-ups in the school wouldn't want them to be in on what exactly they're doing. My guess is that they know some of the students are werewolves and that's it."

Scarlet folded her arms and looked away defiantly. "I still don't like it. Wolf's made it very clear that he hates the fact that he's a werewolf and prefers not to think about it. Now you want me to talk to him about it at length?"

"We don't really have much of a choice at this point Scarlet." Kai said.

She sighed. She knew he was right. That didn't mean it didn't make her want to punch something.

Scarlet trudged through the seemingly endless hallways of Artemisia, occasionally shooting a glance at an empty classroom. The pristine cleanliness of the castle walls made her want to kick dirt all over their stones. Unfortunately, the floor was just as clean. She glared at the hallway behind her, cursing it's bright, shining surface and wishing she'd jumped in a few mud puddles before she came down here. Scattering filth over the building's relentless cleanliness would be a good outlet for the rage bubbling inside of her.

She huffed and tugged the red hood of her sweatshirt over her head. Woe to that unfortunate student who'd dare to say "hi" to her. Best case scenario, they'd learn a whole repertoire of new cuss words.

Eventually, Scarlet's mindless trudging led her to the library. She sighed, and silently prayed that Wolf would be doing his homework in his room. At least then she'd be able to put off seeing the hurt and self-loathing in his eyes for a little while longer.

Her shoulders slumped with disappointment when she saw him hunkered over one of the library's work tables, scowling at a textbook. Occasionally, he'd take a note on a piece of paper.

Forcing a grin, she walked over to him. "Hey, what'cha doing?"

Wolf gave her a slight smile. "Just homework. Got a lot of Potions work to do."

"You're actually bothering to do it?" Scarlet asked, pulling up a chair beside him.

"Well I don't want detention, do I?"

"Suit yourself. Hey, mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

His innocent ignorance caused Scarlet to wince.

She lowered her voice. "It's about your… condition."

Instantly, Wolf's expression changed from almost happy to afraid and wary. His shoulders tensed and his eyes flashed at Scarlet like a cornered animal.

She shifted uncomfortably. This was already off to a bad start. "Last month, some friends of mine, though they are also your friends, snuck into the Black Woods to find out why the centaurs were being so hostile."

"Mhmm." Wolf grunted in reply. His fingers drummed rapidly on the table.

Scarlet ploughed on. "Yeah, well, turns out the reason they were so ticked off was because of all the werewolves running around so my friends kinda ended up promising they would get rid of all the werewolves-"

"I know."

She blinked at him in surprise. "You… know?"

He turned his head, avoiding her gaze. "I was there."

Oh yeah, the other's said that the werewolf looked a bit like Wolf.

"Right sorry." Scarlet cleared her throat. "Anyway, that night wasn't a full moon and we were just wondering why you… changed your look on that night."

Wolf looked up at her, his face blank. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Scarlet opened her mouth. To argue? To apologise? She wasn't sure what were the words forming in her mouth, but before she could speak them, Wolf slid over a sheet of paper he was writing on. "I think I got some of these ingredients wrong. Can you check them for me?"

Scarlet took the sheet. "Uh… sure?"

She scanned over the messy writing scrawled chaotically all over the paper. At the bottom, written in large, bold letters, was a sentence that had no place on Potions homework.

THEY USE A SPELL.

Scarlet's eyes widened. She glanced at Wolf, who looked back at her innocently.

She grabbed his quill. "I think I see something you recorded wrong. Here, let me show you."

She scribbled hastily underneath his message: WHAT'S THE INCANTATION?

Scarlet slid the paper back over to him. He gazed at the paper and frowned. "I thought that was for Veritaserum. Don't you use bezoars in Polyjuice potion?"

Scarlet hadn't the faintest idea, and she doubted Wolf did either, but she played along. "Well, why don't you write down the recipe and let me check it?"

He nodded and wrote something down.

When he passed the paper back to her, it said: DON'T KNOW. THEY NEVER SAY IT. ALL I KNOW IS THEY NEED A WEIRD SILVER BALL TO MAKE IT WORK.

Scarlet nodded and smiled. "Yep, that looks good."

Inside, she was frowning. Weird silver ball? What kind of weird silver ball?

**A/N: Finally, several loose threads of story are coming together!**

**We finally know how the school's been turning kids into werewolves when it wasn't the full moon. How will the gang use this info? And how much longer will the centaurs give them?**

**Please review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Thorne**

Thorne took his time heading to the dining hall for dinner. He didn't care too much if he was late. He could always get some food from the kitchens later, so why rush? Now if only he could explain that to the blonde girl frantically running around the corner.

"Cress, slow down!" Thorne called after her jokingly, "This isn't Flying class, you don't have to pretend you're riding a Firebolt."

Cress whirled around to face him, her face flushed red from running. "But I'm going to be late for dinner!"

Thorne waved away her concern. "No need to worry, I'll show you how to get to the kitchens. The house elves down there are more than happy to prepare you a fresh meal."

"But won't I get in trouble?" Cress whimpered.

Thorne barked with laughter. "Cress, this school couldn't care less if its student's starved to death! You'll be fine, so slow down."

She didn't look entirely convinced by his logic, but Cress obliged, slowing her pace so that she was walking beside him.

"So, still acing all your classes?" Thorne asked with a grin.

Cress rubbed her arm self-consciously. "I'm not that good-"

"Pfft, and I'm a model student. Come on Cress, you're the smartest girl in our year, if not the whole school!"

Cress's flushed cheeks had been slowly turning to a more natural shade, but now they turned bright red all over again. For some reason, this made Thorne's grin widen further.

Clearing her throat, Cress hastily changed the subject. "Have you seen Professor Mira lately?"

"No, thank Merlin."

"I've only seen her at the staff table during mealtimes. You know, she didn't take any of her classes on Friday? Maybe she's working on some sort of new project for the headmistress…"

"Mm, yes, I supposed that's a possibility." Thorne pretended to muse.

Evidently, he didn't do a very good job of it since Cress immediately fixed him with a shrewd look. "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you Thorne?"

He stared at her, eyes ridiculously wide. "What, who, me? Why Cress, why would I know anything?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well then, could you hazard a guess?"

"Sure, just as soon as we've gone inside the Great Hall." Thorne replied, gesturing to the oak double doors ahead of them. He threw a mischievous grin at Cress. "Something tells me I'll get a pretty good clue once we're inside."

Thorne stepped into the Great Hall, but didn't saunter over to the Gold table like usual. Instead, he loitered by the doorway, glancing around casually.

Cress stood next to him, her large blue eyes glittering with curiosity and apprehension.

Thorne winked at her and pulled out his wand. His gaze swept over the staff table, finally landing on Professor Mira.

If she was watching, her only warning would be a wicked grin.

Thorne aimed his wand squarely at Professor Mira, closing one eye for show, and whispered, "_Accio wig._"

A mop of shiny black hair flew into his hand. A few students turned their heads to watch the strange anomaly, but what really caused the triumphant smirk to appear on Thorne's face was the horrified shriek at the staff table.

As one entity, the students turned around to see what the commotion was about. Some of them had to lean back in their seats to get a clear view. And, Thorne mused, what a view it was.

Sybil Mira's honeyed skin had turned sickly pale, and her long fingers were pressed against her scalp, desperately trying to hide the naked skin.

"Nice haircut Professor!" Thorne yelled up at her, "How do I contact the barber?"

A smattering of laughter rolled through the hall, though it was quickly replaced by deathly silence when the veiled figure of the headmistress stood up.

"Carswell Thorne." Her voice carried effortlessly over to Thorne's end of the hall. "Please come with me to my office."

Beside him, Cress gasped in horror. Thorne himself could feel the blood drain away from his face, but he called up his signature grin and stooped low in a mocking bow. "As you wish my queen." He said in a smarmy voice.

On the way to Levana's office, Thorne made a conscious effort to walk with a confident swagger. He didn't want the headmistress to know just how afraid he was.

This wasn't the first time Thorne had been summoned to her office, and it probably wouldn't be the last, but every visit always ended with a trip to the dungeons. Thorne had to suppress a shudder at the thought of spending any more time in those dark cells.

They came to a stop in front of a large, silver model of the moon sitting in an archway. Levana reached out with one ivory skinned hand and pressed her fingers to the model's surface. The metal rippled and shifted, spreading out to form a hole just big enough to let Levana through. On the other side of the hole was an endlessly long glass bridge leading up to a tower constructed of shiny, reflective stuff.

As he stepped through the entrance, Thorne squinted and shaded his eyes at the intense light the tower was throwing in all directions. Levana, seemingly unaffected by the glare of her office tower, strode confidently along the glass bridge.

Hesitating, Thorne looked back at the entrance. Maybe it was still open. Maybe he could escape and delay his fate, at least for a little while. But he was just found himself staring at a sheer white wall. For once, Carswell Thorne was out of luck.

The door to the tower swung open in front of Levana, and Thorne reluctantly followed in her regal strides. The walls of Levana's office were polished black regolith, and the plush red carpet noticeably sank underneath his weight. An ivory desk stood at the far end of the room, intricately carved in the shape of a giant wolf standing on all fours, its powerful head dipped in submission. On one end of the desk was a faceless marble bust. Levana lifted her hands to her veil and, with a deliberate slowness, lifted it from her head, placing it on the bust.

Now, Thorne had a clear view of her face. Or what she wanted him to think was her face at least. You could never tell with lunars.

Long, shiny auburn curls spilled elegantly over her shoulders down her back. Her onyx eyes glittered at Thorne coldly, and her blood-red lips curled into a smile.

The smile was enough to make Thorne cringe.

"Carswell Thorne," she hummed. Her voice seemed to drip into his ears like poisoned honey. "What am I to do with you?"

"You could let me go punishment-free?" Thorne suggested.

Levana laughed. "I'm afraid you don't get a say in the matter Carswell."

He shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

Levana walked around her desk and set herself down on an elegant ebony chair. "You have been responsible for many instances of disregard towards school rules Carswell, but deliberately targeting a staff member?" she clucked her tongue, shaking her head in what Thorne was certain was mock disappointment. "Clearly your rebelliousness was worse than I thought."

Somehow, Thorne managed to muster up a lopsided grin. "Well, let that be a lesson to you: never underestimate me."

Levana didn't even spare him a glance. "Normally, I would punish this insurrection with a sentence to the lower levels of the dungeons, but you've proven that this has no effect." In one smooth movement, Levana picked up the shiny ivory rod resting on her desk. "So, it seems that I must take some more… drastic measures."

Thorne took an instinctive step back, eying the wand in Levana's hand as the tip levelled itself towards his face. For the first time, Levana's smile reached her eyes.

A cloud of smoky darkness spewed from the tip of the wand, growing greater and greater, until that was all Thorne could see: complete and utter darkness.

Somewhere in the darkness, Levana's satisfied voice said, "I believe this will curb your rebellious habits."

**A/N: FINALLY, FINALLY WE OFFICIALLY MEET LEVANA! AFTER 28 CHAPTERS OF HEARING ABOUT HER, FINALLY WE MEET HER!**

**Thorne has finally exacted his revenge on Sybil, but it came with a new punishment. What exactly did Levana do to Thorne? Will his spirit finally be crushed by this new punishment?**

**Please review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

A thin wisp of silvery mist spurted half-heartedly from the tip of Wolf's wand before dissipating completely. He sighed and turned back to his textbook, pretending to look over the spell they were practicing. Really, he was just trying to look busy. There was no way he was going to produce even an incorporeal Patronus, not that he'd want to produce a corporeal one. He knew exactly what it would look like, and what it would mean. Besides, it's not like his lack of progress was noticeable. Occasionally, a student would produce a solid (if shapeless) Patronus, but mostly their attempts ended with pathetic faint white smoke.

"Do not be discouraged." Professor Clay called after yet another student screamed in frustration. "This is a very difficult charm, and it's perfectly normal for you not to get it on the first try."

"Oh yeah, that totally makes me feel better." Scarlet snarled under her breath.

Wolf's mouth twitched into an involuntary smile as he watched her screw up her face in concentration and furiously mutter the incantation. He wondered what Scarlet's Patronus would be. Probably a wildcat or a dragon, since she was so fierce. And strong. And brave. And… Wolf really had to stop thinking about her like that.

He scowled down at his book. _For Merlin's sake Ze'ev, you're a werewolf! You can't think about her, or anyone, that way! It's too dangerous for them! Stop it!_

But his treacherous heart said differently.

Sighing, he picked up his wand and concentrated on the memory of his village. He missed it. True, there were weekly monster attacks and the people were always hungry, but it was the only home he'd ever known. His mother and father were there, the boys he used to play with were there, the aurors who taught him about the dark creatures they so often encountered were there. It might not have been the best place to live, but it was home.

He waved his wand and whispered, "_Expecto patronum." _

No reaction. He supposed the memory was tinged with too much terror and sadness to do anything.

Wolf rested his wand on the desk and leaned back in his chair. That was it. He'd used every happy memory he could think of and they had done nothing. Not that he'd expected them to. They were all pretty weak anyway. His life in the village had been pretty miserable, and his life after he hadn't even been human. Not exactly the best material for a spell that's made of happiness. And at the rate things were going, he doubted he'd have any new material soon. Not after that night, when Cinder made that promise to the centaurs.

He hadn't planned on sneaking around the woods. He just wanted to curl up at the base of a tree and go to sleep. But the sight of his classmates just wandering through the trees for no apparent reason… it was too strange not to investigate.

When the centaurs arrived and the group started _talking_ to them, Wolf just forgot to stay hidden. It just didn't make the slightest bit of sense to him. Other than the other wolves scampering around the forest, centaurs were probably the most dangerous thing that lived in the shadows of its trees, and from what Wolf had seen, they weren't the most diplomatic species. And him just standing right there hadn't helped their moods.

As always, each angry shout and yelp of fear at the mere sight of his lupine form seemed to hit him in the gut. The tremble in their voices as they talked to each other felt like needles stabbing into his heart. Although, their argument over a spell _was_ pretty funny. It was enough to make him smirk just thinking about it. Wolf's smile only widened when he thought of their reactions when he didn't attack.

He flicked his wand experimentally. "_Expecto patronum." _

Nothing. Must be too much regret.

If he had never showed his face (his muzzle?), the others might have gotten away without any rash promises. They might not know his secret and be asking him questions, questions he'd get in serious trouble for answering. And he might not be catching himself thinking of ways he could help them further, ways that would definitely result in something like being made to gouge his own eyes out, and that's if he was lucky!

Wolf shook his head, dislodging these dark thoughts. It didn't matter. All he had to do was stop himself before he did anything stupid, and he'll be fine! Just stay in control, and don't lose focu-

"I have had it up to here with this stupid spell!"

The sudden enraged yell made Wolf (and probably the rest of the class) jump.

At his desk, Professor Clay sighed and rubbed his head. "Miss Benoit, please keep a hold of your temper."

"Easy for you to say!" Scarlet retorted, glaring at her wand. "You're not the one trying to cast a freaking impossible spell!"

"I did say this was very difficult. Honestly, I'd be surprised if any of you managed to produce a proper Patronus on your first try. Don't worry Miss Benoit, in a few weeks, you'll have gotten it."

Scarlet huffed, obviously unsatisfied.

Fighting a grin, Wolf whispered to her, "Have you tried imagining Roland with a pumpkin head?"

She nodded. "That was one of my first." She shot him a mischievous grin. "Along with imagining his face swollen with a stinging jinx."

Wolf felt his ears burn, but he couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment at the memory of that Herbology lesson, or from Scarlet's smile. Suddenly, helping her and the others seemed about a million times more tempting.

"Mr Kesley!" Professor Clay called over to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Gratefully, Wolf nodded. He didn't think it was a good idea to talk to Scarlet for much longer.

He stood up from his chair and walked over to Professor Clay's desk. "Is something wrong, sir?"

The teacher regarded him seriously. "Kesley, you're one of my top students. Nearly every beast I've taught so far you've already known how to beat. Every defensive spell you master within the lesson, assuming you even need to learn it in the first place. And yet you seem to be struggling with this particular charm."

Wolf shrugged. "You said yourself, it's one of the hardest spells there is. And it's not like I'm the only one having a hard time of it."

"But you are the only one who seems to have a hard time of thinking of happy memories."

Wolf shuffled his feet awkwardly. He didn't know what to say to that.

Professor Clay opened a drawer in his desk and rummaged through the many sheets of paper inside, finally bringing out a single sheet.

He slid it over to Wolf. "This is your homework from a couple weeks ago, where you had to list all of your happiest memories. You wrote down the least, and none of them weren't a quarter as happy as some of the other students'."

Professor Clay looked at him, and Wolf saw that his eyes were clouded with sympathy. "Ze'ev, I know about your… condition, and I know some of what they put you through. But that doesn't mean you can't be happy."

"With all due respect Professor," Wolf murmured, "being happy is pretty much impossible when you're a monster."

"You're not a monster Ze'ev."

"Yes I am. Have you read _Lupine Lawlessness_?"

"No, and I'm saddened to hear you have. There are far better accounts you can read for information on your condition. Have you considered _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_? That's far more reliable."

Wolf frowned, but didn't argue.

Professor Clay sighed. "Listen Ze'ev, you will be presented with many opportunities to break away from this self-imposed punishment for something you can't even control. For your own sake, I urge you to take them."

Wolf nodded despondently.

The bell rang and the students' packed up and headed for the doorway, chatting merrily amongst themselves. For some reason, Thorne walked straight into the wall before finding the exit. Scarlet was among the throng of students that were hurrying to get away from the frustrating lesson, but unlike the others, she turned and grinned brightly at Wolf. "See you later Wolf!"

"Bye." Wolf called back and went to gather his things.

"You see?" Professor Clay said, sounding pleased. "That right there is a prime example that you can be happy every once in a while."

"Maybe." Wolf replied vaguely, glancing at the now empty doorway.

He highly doubted he'd reach any Patronus-levels of happiness in his lifetime, but maybe small things… that was more plausible. Like getting good grades in DADA, finding a good book to read.

Seeing Scarlet smile.

Hearing her laugh.

Making her happy.

Abruptly, Wolf raised his head to look up at the teacher. "You know stuff about the school's wolf project, right?" he blurted.

"Only a little." Professor Clay replied.

"Do you know how they turn us when it isn't a full moon?"

Professor Clay shook his head. "No, sorry. All I know is that it has to do with moonlight collected from the Star Tree."

"The what?"

"The Star Tree. It absorbs sunlight during the day and converts it into little globes of light at night. However, it also collects moonlight, though at a much slower pace, and every full moon instead of creating balls of sunlight, it makes balls of moonlight."

**A/N: Hey, remember that weird Star Tree thing in chapter 20? It did have a purpose! Will Wolf reveal this piece of info to the rest of the crew?**

**Please review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

At Hogwarts, Cinder's least favourite subject was History of Magic. She'd lost count of how many times she had to cram for a test because Professor Binns' droning made her fall asleep.

At Artemisia, her least favourite subject used to be Astronomy. Not only was it pretty much useless as far as she could see, but Professor Park was the stuff of nightmares! And the way he treated some of the girls…! An involuntary shudder ran through Cinder's spine just thinking about the way he leered and touched the unfortunate witches. It made her glad for her boyish angular figure.

The only lesson that trumped Astronomy was a more recent addition that required her to sneak down to the Potions classrooms on weekends. Lunar Manipulation.

"It's very simple." Professor Erland told her. "You just need to will someone to do something, think something, feel something, see something, whatever, and it will happen. It'll be a bit awkward at first, and the recipient will probably be able to tell that something's off, but with practice they won't even notice the manipulation."

"What if I don't want to practice?" Cinder grumbled rebelliously.

"I'm afraid that's not an option. Now that the magic suppressing your gift is damaged, you might not be able to get away with neglecting your gift without suffering the consequences. The only way out of it is to practice."

"Can't you just fix the magic?"  
"Not without knowing more about it, and I doubt I'd gather any of that necessary information from examining your particular broken piece."

Cinder huffed and crossed her arms. Despite Professor Erland's many (and probably exaggerated) warnings about lunar sickness, she was still tempted to try her luck and go without the so-called "gift". Honestly, who's stupid idea was it to call this a gift anyway? Since when is being able to brainwash people a gift? Nero Blackburn must've been one seriously power-hungry arrogant jerk. And was Cinder the only one who wondered about why the power was passed on so quickly?

Professor Erland sighed and peered at her over the top of his glasses. "Look Cinder, I know you're not happy about this, and I don't blame you. After all, you've been taught your whole life about what nasty, evil creatures lunars are and how they evilly use their gift to do whatever they want and hurt old ladies and such, but I assure you, it's not like that. True, the nature of the gift might be a bit unethical, but most lunars only use it to pull harmless pranks on each other, like making their friends trip over their own feet."  
Cinder glared at him. "And you expect me to take a lunar's word for it? Oh come on," she said, noticing his shocked expression, "it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out when you know so much about this "gift" and the way lunars supposedly act!"

The old teacher raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, so you won't take my word for it, but will you take Winter's?"

Cinder blinked at him. "What?"  
"Winter is your friend, yes? And she's a lunar. In fact, I have a very strong suspicion that she's suffering from lunar sickness. Jacin Clay is also lunar. His gift is very weak and it's inconsequential whether he uses it or not, but surely that doesn't matter if all lunars are inherently evil."

"Hold on-" Cinder tried, but Professor Erland cut her off.

"And Ze'ev. I've seen you talking to him on occasion. I happen to know the village he's from. A very poor settlement, and more than half its inhabitants are lunar. And they coexist perfectly peacefully with their human neighbours. And…" he hesitated briefly, clearing his throat before he finally said, "Crescent. She's lunar as well. A shell, to be precise. That's a sort of lunar that has no gift and is immune to manipulation by the gift."

Cinder groaned and rubbed her temples. Winter, Jacin, Wolf, Cress. They were all lunars? But that's… they can't be! Winter liked to make trips to the owlery to pet the owls. Jacin was fiercely protective of her and seemed to have a very strong sense of loyalty and justice. Wolf might be a bit violent, but on the whole, he was quite gentle and awkward. Cress was a sweet little bookworm who had a crush on Thorne and enjoyed singing. Try as Cinder might, she just couldn't see any of them as lunar. They just didn't fit with what she heard about the magical people her whole life. Then again, her whole life she'd thought of herself as a normal human being, and that was apparently false.

Attending Artemisia was just bringing on revelation after revelation.

Professor Erland peered at her sternly over the tops of his glasses. "So you see, lunars aren't evil as a species. I won't deny that we have a fair few rotten eggs, but so do normal witches and wizards. Have you ever heard of Grindelwald? He was one of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time, and he was perfectly human. And have you heard of Logan Tanner? A very successful physician who saved countless lives during his career, and he was a lunar."

"Well excuse me for believing the only thing I've ever heard about lunars over the course of my entire life." Cinder grumbled.

"And I understand that. All I'm saying is that just because you have the lunar gift doesn't make you evil. Do you understand?"

Reluctantly, Cinder nodded.

"Good. Now let's get on with practice."

He took a step back, probably so he could see her better. "We'll start with something simple. I want you to make me do an Irish jig on the spot."

"What if I don't know what an Irish jig is?"

"Just make me do a funny dance then."

Cinder sighed and focused on the old man standing in front of her. She had a vague idea of how an Irish jig worked. She'd seen a picture of a leprechaun doing it in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. _Shutting her eyes, she tried to force the image out of her mind and into Professor Erland's. _You want to do an Irish jig. You want to do it more than anything else right now._

The sound of feet tapping merrily on the stone floor prompted her to cautiously open her eyes. And stretch them even wider at the sight of the stern, serious Professor Erland kicking his legs out in easy, practiced movements with a big smile on his face, humming happily to himself.

A grin broke out over Cinder's face. If only she had a camera. This would make an amazing picture.

The lapse in her concentration (unfortunately) broke the spell. The teacher scowled. He looked down disbelievingly at his jerking legs and hurriedly stopped the dance. Standing still as a pole. A very embarrassed pole.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, um, well done. It seems your gift is much more advanced than I originally thought it would be. The urge to… to do an Irish jig was very seamlessly planted into my consciousness."  
"Good to know I'm a natural manipulator." Cinder replied, but she couldn't quite hide the smile still tugging at her lips. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, you're free to go. Oh, and one more thing."

Cinder sighed. Here comes another speech about the morals of the lunars. "Yes?"

"Do you know anyone who'd be willing to spend practically every waking moment with Carswell? The headmistress' latest punishment is making him very prone to making a right mess in Potions class."

**A/N: [Lunar manipulation power is now available]**

**Cinder is learning to use her lunar gift. But will it be enough to help her get through the school year? And who would ever want to spend every day with Thorne (subtle wink to Cresswell lovers)**

**Please review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cress**

Cress frantically scribbled notes onto a blank sheet of paper, occasionally shooting a glance at one of the many textbooks scattered all around her.

So maybe it hadn't been a good idea to take on all those bonus assignments, even if they were an amazing way of raising her grade. And it wasn't like it was necessary, when she was excelling at all her other classes. But keeping busy helped take her mind off, well, everything. The werewolves, Professor Mira, Professor Park, especially Professor Park.

On more than one occasion, Cress has caught the smug teacher eyeing her and her friends with confusion, and every time she saw that look Cress felt her throat close up with fear. She hadn't done the charm properly. He knew there was something going on with their group, but he didn't know what. Sooner or later, he was going to report back to Levana and they would restore his memory and he would tell them that about what Cress and her friends were planning and then-an involuntary shudder ran down Cress's spine. She didn't want to think about what would happen then.

"Homework?"  
Cress looked up and smiled at the tan girl seating herself down in the chair next to hers. "Yeah, I took a lot of bonus assignments to raise my grade."

Cinder smirked. "You do realise that you're the smartest student in the school, right? This is just a waste of time."

"Yes, well, better safe than sorry right?"

"I guess, but you'd be safe with or without bonus assignments."

"If you say so."

Cinder chuckled and pulled one of the many sheets of paper toward her. "You're doing bonus History of Magic as well? Seriously?"

"Well, it is an important subject." Cress tried.

"Cress, in this school, it's literally nothing but saying how great the lunars are."  
Cress shifted awkwardly in her chair. "Well, they did stop the Gellert Grindelwald's reign of terror."

"That was Albus Dumbledore Cress. He was a human."

"Really? I could have sworn he was lunar."

Cinder shot her an odd look. "Why did you think that?"

Cress shrugged. "It's all I've been taught my whole life. What else was I supposed to believe?"

"I hear that." Cinder sighed.

Tilting her head to one side, Cress regarded her friend worriedly. "Um, Cinder? Are you alright?"

The other girl offered a small smile. "I'm fine."  
Cress frowned slightly, not quite convinced.

"Cress, I really am fine. It's just been a weird couple of days, that's all."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Cinder shook her head. "Not really. Hey, have you seen Thorne anywhere?"

Cress blinked. Where had that come from?

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

Cinder waved her hand nonchalantly. "Apparently he's been really clumsy in Potions class lately because of his latest punishment. Professor Erland wants me to help him out."

Cress felt her eyes widen with shock. Cinder must have been talking about Thorne's punishment for making Sybil go bald. What did Levana do to him? What could she have done that would have made Thorne become clumsy? Was it permanent? Did he… did he blame Cress for his punishment? He did pull that prank for her after all. Strange, less than ten minutes ago Cress's heart would have warmed at the thought. Now, it just filled her with dread. She had to make it up to him! But how? What could she possible do to-oh!

"I can go help him if you want!" Cress said eagerly.

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that that would mean hanging out with Thorne pretty much all day, every day, right? At least until whatever the school did to him wears off?"

"I can do it!" Cress insisted, "Just let me clear up all of this stuff first and then I'll go find him."

"All right," Cinder sighed, "but don't say I didn't warn you."

Cress jogged lightly through the hallways, peering into every empty classroom she passed. It was seriously unlikely that he'd be in any of them, given that Thorne was hardly the scholarly type and he probably wouldn't be engineering any pranks while whatever Levana did to him was in effect, but it's better to be sure, rightt? And it did turn out sort-of well in the end, when Cress left a classroom she'd just checked and accidentally hit Thorne in the face with the door.

"Sorry!" She squeaked, "Are you hurt?"

Thorne blinked blearily. "Cress? Is that you?"

She blinked. Who else would she be? "Um… yes?"

He grinned. "Oh, hey! What were you just apologising for?"

"I accidentally hit you with a door."

"Oh, so that's what that was? Don't worry about it, no harm done."

Cress narrowed her eyes and scrutinised Thorne's face. Was it just her, or did his smile look a bit strained? And why was he looking at her shoulder? There wasn't anything on her shirt, was ther?

Tentatively, she reached up a hand and waved it in front of Thorne's face. He didn't eve blink.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Cress asked.

He frowned. "I thought we already covered that."

"Not because of the door."

He chuckled light-heartedly. "Of course I'm alright! Why wouldn't I be?"

"Did you notice me waving my hand in front of your face just now?"

Thorne blinked at her. "Did you do that?"

"Yes. You didn't see?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Not… exactly…"

Cress held up two fingers for Thorne to (hopefully) see. "How many fingers am I holding up?"  
"Three?" Thorne guessed tentatively.

Cress shook her head slowly. "No, two."

She was growing more worried by the second. Thorne still hadn't shifted his gaze over from her shoulder, and she had the funny feeling she could wave her arms around like a lunatic and he wouldn't notice a thing.

"Thorne…" Cress whispered nervously, "can you see?"

He smirked, but it was a lot weaker than usual. "Is this a metaphor for something, cus I'm not following."

"It's not a metaphor. I'm asking literally if you can see."

Thorne sighed. "I was afraid of that. No, I can't see."

Cress gasped in sympathy and, on impulse, threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Thorne grunted in surprise, but it wasn't long before Cress felt the warmth of his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured.

Thorne chuckled. "What're you apologising for? Levana's the one who blinded me, not you."

"But it was because of what you did to Sybil Mira wasn't it? And you only did that because of how she cut my hair because I was being impetuous and-"

"Cress." Thorne cut her off, his voice surprisingly firm. "In no way is this your fault. No matter how much you twist the situation, it'll never be your fault. Okay?"

Cress nodded against his chest.

She felt Thorne's chin come to rest on her head.

"Cress?" He asked.

"Yes?"  
"Why does your hair smell like vanilla?"

**A/N: Do any of you remember what that last line referenced to? Feels like ages ago since I wrote that chapter, so I don't blame you for being stumped. **

**Anyway, just wanted to write some sweet Cresswell stuff. Fair warning: I'm going on a bit of a couples spree for the next few weeks, but we're going to hit a major development in the story really soon.**

**Please review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Winter**

Winter happily ran across the grass, laughing as she chased after the barking crup running ahead of her. Putting on a burst of speed, she lunged forward and picked up the puppy, hugging its squirming fluffy body to her chest.

"Got you Ryu!" She giggled as it licked her face.

"I still can't believe you let that thing lick you." Jacin muttered from behind her, "That's so gross!"

"It means he likes me." Winter told him defensively. Turning around, she shoved Ryu into Jacin's face. He only just managed to avoid the enthusiastic puppy's tongue. "Aw, look! He likes you to!"

Jacin glared at Ryu. "Great."

Winter fought back her giggles as she set Ryu back down onto the ground, where he immediately took off at a clumsy run. She jogged after him, calling over her shoulder, "Come on Jacin! Play with us!"

He smirked. "I'll pass thanks."

"Oh come on!" Winter cried, scooping Ryu up again and holding him up for Jacin to see, "How can you say no to this adorable face?"

Ryu whined helpfully, giving Jacin his biggest, most innocent eyes.

"Because that adorable face might cover me with spit." He deadpanned.

"He won't lick you if you don't want him to!"  
"Sure he won't."

Winter threw back her head and groaned dramatically. "Why do you have to be immune to cuteness?"

Jacin grinned smugly. "I built up an immunity from hanging around you too much."

Winter stared at him, struck dumb by the unexpected compliment, before breaking out in a huge grin. "You think I'm cute?"

He shrugged. "Just sort of. You know. On a good day."

Somehow, Winter managed to keep herself from squealing with delight. Jacin thought she was cute! Sure, she got plenty of compliments on her looks from others, but Jacin's was the only one that really mattered to her. And now she had it: she was sort-of cute.

She beamed at him. "You are cute too."

He raised an eyebrow at her teasingly. "Oh really?"  
"You know. On a good day."

Jacin chuckled, and a brief flash of his sunrise smile lit up his face. It was gone in a blink, but Winter saw it as clearly as she saw the crup squirming in her arms.

And as clearly as she saw Professor Park striding across the grass, his usual smug smile on his face as he eyed the students running around and relaxing.

Sucking in a quick breath of fear, Winter ran around Jacin so that she was standing behind him, hopefully tucked away from Professor Park's slimy gaze.

At Jacin's confused glance, she gestured towards the threat. Immediately, his eyes, moments ago so full of amused warmth, hardened and he slowly started nudging Winter back to the castle, always making sure that he was between her and Professor Park. But despite this, Winter couldn't relax. She felt her fear crawling like ants along her nerves, biting and nipping, feeding.

"What did he do?" Jacin murmured to her.

Winter stared at him, trying to seem confused. "What did who do?"

He sighed. "Winter, you've always hated Professor Park, but you've never been this scared of him before. He did something, tell me what."

Winter bit her lip nervously. She purposely hadn't told Jacin about Professor Park's attempt at blackmailing her. He worried about her safety enough already, and she didn't want him to get in trouble for her. Even now, with him bluntly asking for to tell him, she hesitated. Professor Park was right there! She didn't want Jacin to jinx him and get detention for a month! But then again, the only way to satisfy him without telling him the full truth was… to lie. Winter hated lying, especially to Jacin. He was the one thing in her life that she was sure wasn't a lie. To be anything but honest with him felt like a betrayal.

"It's in the past now, you don't need to worry about it." Winter said, trying to dissuade him.

"That just makes me worry more. What did Aimery do?'

Winter looked down at her feet and, in the quietest whisper she could muster, told him. She told him everything. And just as she'd feared, Jacin was furious.

Growling, he reached for the wand that was tucked safely in his pocket, glaring at Professor Park. Winter grabbed his hand tightly and shook her head.

"He tried to blackmail you into being his mistress Winter." Jacin hissed, his cold eyes still fixed on Aimery. "I can't let him go without punishment."

"You must." Winter insisted. "What if he punishes you?"

"I can handle whatever that smug grindylow throws at me."

"But I can't. Please Jacin, just let it go. Besides, he's already been punished, remember? Cress-friend used a memory charm on him."

Jacin scowled and let go of his wand. "About that Winter, I don't think that charm worked properly."

Winter tilted her head curiously. "But Aimery hasn't told on us. I know because none of our friends have blood on their faces and their hands aren't holding the knives."

"But he knows something's wrong." Jacin said, "He's been paying a lot closer attention to us lately, and he keeps frowning, like he's confused. I just thought someone put a niffler in his office and he was trying to figure out who did it, but this makes so much more sense. He knows that we did something wrong, something that he should know but can't figure out yet. Sooner or later, he'll figure out why and get his memory restored. Then we'll be in some serious trouble."

Winter squeezed Ryu nervously. Sensing her anxiety, the crup licked her nose, but for once it did nothing to relax her. "You really think that'll happen?"  
Jacin put both hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Winter, listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Professor Park will never hurt you. I'll make sure of it. After all," His mouth quirked into a smile. "You're my princess, and I'm your guard."

**A/N: You guys all thought that I'd have Aimery's memory wiped and leave it at that didn't you? Sorry to disappoint but this guy's going to be a constant source of worry for the gang.**

**Man, I don't write nearly enough Jacinter. I've got to start practicing again and figure out a way to make these two a couple already. **

**Please review! **


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Iko**

When Iko found out that Cinder had promised to remove the werewolves from the forest, she was probably the only one who was actually excited about it. Come on, it was a heroic quest! What's not to like? But that was before she found out that heroic quests also meant extra homework.

It was Kai's idea of course. He said that they all had to start researching werewolves to help come up with a solution and how to fight them if they came across them blah blah blah _boring!_ Werewolves were just poor schmucks that got bitten and had to transform into bloodthirsty mindless monsters on the full moon. What more was there to know? But Iko didn't want to seem like she wasn't contributing, which was why she found herself staring at a textbook, going cross-eyed with boredom. She was definitely going to slip some flobberworm mucus into Kai's pumpkin juice later for this.

"You're actually studying? Since when do you care about your grades?" A voice said from behind her

Iko rolled her eyes and groaned. Great, not only was she bored out of her mind, she was stuck with the biggest jerk in the school.

She swivelled around in her chair and threw Kinney her most heated glare. "I care about my grades! I just don't obsessively pour over textbooks; unlike some people I know."

Kinney raised an eyebrow and studied the assortment of books splayed haphazardly around Iko.

Catching his look, she growled. "I have a big project I need to work on."

"Oh really?" He said dubiously, "And what would this big project be about?"

"Werewolves." She snapped, "It's for DADA."

"That's strange," Kinney pretended to muse. "I attend the same DADA classes as you and get the same assignments. So why haven't I heard anything about a project on werewolves?"

Iko gritted her teeth, partly to contain her frustration, partly from the effort of keeping her hair from turning red.

"It's a bonus assignment." She said.

Kinney raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you do bonus assignments?"  
"I want to get my grade up! Isn't that allowed?"

"Oh, it's allowed. But it's a very unusual thing for you to care about. Didn't you skip studying for exams last year to go shopping in Hogsmeade?"

"Do you make a note of everything I do just to make fun of me for it later?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

Huffing, Iko turned back to her textbooks. "If all you're going to do is keep me from studying, I suggest you leave. Don't you have your own work to do or something?"

"Normally you'd thank me for giving you an excuse not to study."

"As if I'd ever thank you for anything." Iko spat.

"You thanked me just last week for helping you with non-verbal spells." Kinney replied dryly.

"That was because a teacher was watching."

"I might believe that if you were actually looking at me."

Iko felt her cheeks burn. When her arguments with Kinney got heated, she often resorted to focusing on something other than him because, through years of experience, she finally learned that looking at Kinney's face for too long tended to make her forget how to speak because, despite the fact that he was a world class jerk, Kinney was very, very good looking. Occasionally, Iko would see him smile and her heart would do a crazy dance in her chest. Iko always gave it a stern lecture when that happened, but the annoying organ didn't seem to know the meaning of the word "obedience" and just. Kept. Dancing! Once or twice (or ten times) the idea crossed into Iko's head to ask Kinney out on a date. She always crushed that idea and figured it was due to too much pumpkin juice or something like that because a) Kinney would probably say no in the rudest way possible, and b) he was a jerk and she didn't want to ask him out anyway, so there!

She turned the page of her book, trying to look like she was actually studying. "I'm not looking at you because I'm reading, or was that not obvious enough for your single brain cell to figure out?"

"You never read non-fiction. All you read is fashion magazines and dragon romance novels." Kinney remarked.

"That was before I became a N.E.W.T student."

"If you were actually reading non-fiction for your N.E. you'd be complaining loudly for the whole school to hear."

"I got a detention last year for that remember? I don't want to be punished again."

"You've never cared about punishment before."

Iko didn't have an answer to that, which made her very, very annoyed. She hated being argued into a corner!

There was a screech of chair legs against stone and Iko looked up to see Kinney pulling up a chair beside her. Swallowing back a curse, she furiously directed her attention back to her book.

"Iko, you're obviously hiding something." Kinney said quietly. He sounded more serious than Iko had ever heard him. "If you tell me, I might be able to help."

Iko snorted. "I highly doubt that."

"I am good at magic Iko, and I know you're probably not actually reading anything in that book so there's not much point."

"You don't know that. I could be learning months' worth of DADA material!"

"We both know that would be severely out of character for you."

Iko huffed and moved to turn the page again. A hand gently but firmly gripping her wrist stopped her. She froze and lifted her gaze slowly up to Kinney's face. At the same time, he seemed to realise what he'd done and snatched his hand away as though Iko's skin had burned him. The warmth of his fingers lingered on Iko's wrist.

His face flushing tomato red, Kinney coughed awkwardly into his fist. "So, yeah. You can tell me. If you want."

Iko almost smiled. She'd never known Kinney to be this awkward.

Eventually, she sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you _some _of it, if it'll get you to quit pestering me. Sound good?"

He nodded.

Alright, here goes. "Me and a couple of my friends think that there are werewolves in the school and I'm just trying to figure out how to defend myself if I ever come across one."

Kinney blinked at her, looking like she'd just grown a third head (could she grow a third head? That would probably be stretching the limits of her powers but…). "You think that there are werewolves in the school."

"I'm sorry, do I stutter?" Iko grumbled. She didn't like Kinney's dubious tone.

He shrugged in a resigned way. "Well, I only know one spell that'll be any use against werewolves, and it's really faulty and temperamental, but it's effective when it works. I can try teaching it to you if you want."  
Iko raised an eyebrow. "And what is this faulty spell?"  
"The homorphus charm."

**A/N: Iko + Kinney = long arguments that are really fun to write **

**We've finally got a whiff of Kinniko in this story! I haven't written nearly enough of either of these characters. I've really gotta weave them into the story better.**

**Until next week. Please review! **


	35. Chapter 35

**So sorry this is so late! Coronavirus has been seriously screwing up my writing schedule.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

The thing that bothered Cinder most about Artemisia was how perfect it was. The glittering walls, elegant towers and shining bridges. The luxurious rooms and perfectly polished floors. Even the flora and fauna were tailored to perfection. Not a single blade of grass was un-cut, the fringing trees of the Black Woods were neatly ordered by type, a group of oaks here, a cluster of elms there. Winter seemed to be held at bay here, since the leaves were as green and the grass as fresh as when Cinder first arrived at the castle. The glittering surface of the lake was untouched by ice, even though Cinder could feel the cold biting at her skin even through her thick woollen coat. Not a ripple disturbed the perfect stillness of the water.

Everywhere you looked at Artemisia, you looked at perfection. And that's what bothered Cinder, because now she knew that that immaculate appearance was nothing more than a mask, a façade to hide the ugliness within. If you went deep enough into the Black Woods, you'd find trees that had never grown leaves. If you went down enough in the dungeons, you'd see the rusty shackles and bars. If you went far enough into the grounds, you'd come across the Biting Rocks, sentient pebbles that's preferred diet seemed to consist of human toes. And Cinder was positive that if she stuck a big enough stick in the lake, she'd discover some kind of monster. A sea serpent or something. Merlin knows she wouldn't be surprised at this point if there was a Loch Ness monster living in there. The school already housed werewolves and had mind-controllers as teachers. There was probably a basilisk lurking in the lowest floor of the dungeon.

"What're you doing?"

Cinder jumped with surprise and whirled around to stare at who had spoken. Kai took a step back and raised his hands in surrender. "Wow, someone's jumpy."

Cinder dropped her gaze. "I've had a lot on my mind."

Kai's gaze softened. "About the school's dog problem?"  
Cinder snorted with amusement. "Yeah, among other things." _ Such as the fact that I'm a Lunar. You know, that kind of mind-controlling wizard that you utterly despise?_

He chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I think we're all pretty on edge over that. The centaurs weren't exactly subtle about what they would do to us if we fail."

"Being shot full of arrows definitely doesn't seem like a good way to go." Cinder agreed.

"What else is on your mind?" Kai asked her gently.

Her smile faded. She opened her mouth to reply, but something seemed to be wrong with her voice. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Cinder shook her head and opened her mouth again. This time, she managed to croak out one word. "Peony."

Kai turned pale. "Is she…"  
"No, not yet. But it's been a month already. The record is, what, one and a half months? She's not going to survive for much longer."

Kai put his hand on her shoulder and tried for a smile. "Hey, you never know. The doctors might still come up with a cure."

Cinder couldn't bring herself to smile back. They both knew that was never going to happen.

"I've been worried about some stuff too." Kai admitted.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "Well that's a given. You're forcing the rest of us to study werewolves in our spare time. I saw Iko banging her head against a library table earlier."  
"Not about the werewolves."  
Cinder raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

Kai sighed and looked out over the lake. "I was worried that… I'd done something wrong."

"Done what wrong?" Cinder asked confusedly. Did he get an Exceeds Expectations instead of an Outstanding?

"You've been avoiding me lately. I thought that I must have done something wrong."

Cinder's eyes widened. She knew she'd been avoiding Kai, but she didn't know he thought it was because of him! She figured that maybe he'd be angry or just forget that she existed. Or just not want to be around her anymore since now he knew about her fake limbs.

"N-no, you haven't done anything wrong." She stammered.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" He asked.

"I thought you wouldn't want to see me." Cinder admitted, somewhat guiltily.

Kai stared at her, copper eyes wide with disbelief. "Wha-why wouldn't I want to see you?"

"You do remember what happened when I came to visit you in Regolith right?"

Cinder could swear Kai's ears turned red as he replied, "Yeah, I remember."

She nodded. "Usually when people find out that I have a fake hand and leg, they want nothing to do with me. Or, more often, they just dedicate a good chunk of their time insulting me."

Kai frowned. "Wait, you were talking about how you fainted?"

"Yeah. What did you think I was talking about?"

Kai was definitely blushing now. "Nothing."

Cinder narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, and he hastily cleared his throat. "So, you were saying that people don't like how you have some magical body parts?"

"Yep, that's generally what happens."

"But that doesn't make sense. What does it matter that you have a leg that isn't made of skin and bone? What are you supposed to do, hop from place to place?"

Cinder tilted her head. "I don't think most people care. It's sort-of like the prejudice against werewolves. They can't help transforming into bloodthirsty monsters every month, but a lot of people blame them for it anyway."

"I guess I can see what you mean…" Kai said haltingly, "but not everyone is against werewolves. Just look at Scarlet! She's still fine being friends with Wolf, even knowing what he is. Haven't you met anyone who didn't care that you had prosthetics?"

"Well, Iko wasn't disgusted." Cinder admitted, amusement tinging her voice at the memory. "But she was the first one. Everyone else immediately decided that I wasn't human, and therefore didn't deserve their respect."

Kai snorted. "Well that's stupid. You can't help being the way you are!"

"Neither can muggle-borns." Cinder reminded him, "Or squibs, or werewolves, or vampires. But the world hates them anyway. Just because something's stupid doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

"But it shouldn't." Kai insisted, "There's gotta be some kind of law about this…"

"Well, there have been laws supporting it. Remember the anti-werewolf legislation?"

"That was abolished years ago though."

"Still, it happened. And something like that will probably happen again."

Kai sighed. "This is… really depressing."

Cinder shrugged. "It's humanity."

"That's even more depressing. Can we talk about something else?"

"Didn't you grow up on politics?" Cinder asked, ignoring Kai's request, "Surely you must already know all this."

"Well, yeah, everyone knows it, but the idea that some people take these beliefs and prejudices to the next level just because it's their nature as humans is seriously disheartening. I can feel myself losing faith in humanity even now."  
"Wait, you still have faith in humanity? I lost it years ago when my stepsister Pearl threw a tantrum because she couldn't decide on a dress to buy."

Kai chuckled at this. "You're right, that is something that would make you lose faith in humanity."

**A/N: Funny how you plan to write a sweet, fluffy Kaider chapter and it ends up being about racism. I don't blame you if this made you sad. After all, it even made me sad, and I'm the author! But I promise, next time I plan on writing Kaider, **_**I will write Kaider!**_

**Please review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

It was almost midnight, and the curtains were drawn in Wolf's room. It was pitch black, but he could still clearly make out the stocky black and white furniture. If he was in the mood, he could probably have read a book. But tonight, he knew he'd never be able to focus enough to read, or do anything other than pace and wait for the right time, because behind those curtains was a slowly rising disk of glowing silver light, just waiting to cast its cold glow over Wolf.

Heaving a sigh, he checked his watch. It was half-past eleven at night. Time to go.

Wolf grabbed his werewolf tag and fastened the chain around his neck before gently opening his door. He cautiously looked up and down the hallway. No-one in sight. But there hadn't been when Jacin followed him either. His eyes were good, but evidently not good enough, and the last thing he needed was for even more people to find out his secret.

He inhaled deeply through his nose, but could smell only carpet and stone. He pricked his ears, but could hear only the distant hooting of owls. This time at least, there didn't seem to be anyone ready to follow him.

Silently closing the door behind him, Wolf made his way down the hall.

Normally, Wolf liked the fresh air. It calmed him down and cleared his head. Outside, he could pretend that he was just a normal kid who'd go back to live with his family during the holidays, who didn't have scars all over his skin and sharp teeth that earned him an almost painful nickname within the first week of school, and who spent every night sleeping happily in his bed. But not tonight, or whenever a full moon was rising. Then, the fresh air was just a reminder that, soon, he would no longer be a human.

Wolf ran unsteadily between the gnarled trees of the Black Woods, trying and failing to ignore the moonlight prickling his skin, slowly spreading its magic over him. His breaths starting coming in short gasps and his legs kept getting caught on roots and rocks. His brain was screaming at him that his feet were the wrong shape, that his hands shouldn't look like that, he should be balancing with his tail.

Stumbling to an unsteady halt, he gripped a nearby willow, trying to shove away the thoughts. His feet werethe right shape, his hands shouldlook like this, he didn't have a tail to balance with. But the thoughts were too strong, too loud. They seemed to fill him up head to toe, screaming at his body that it was the wrong shape, it should have fur, it should have claws, it should have fangs.

A burning rawness spread up Wolf's throat, and his gasps for air turned to whines. His skin prickled uncomfortable as long, coarse brown fur suddenly grew to cover it. Hot pain raced up the bones of his arms as they stretched and snapped into a new shape and his fingers fused together. His feet ached and his legs wobbled under his weight and he fell forward, barely catching himself on his arms. Pained growls rose up through his throat as his face lengthened. Agony sliced through his jaw as his teeth grew into fangs, and his ears felt as though they were being torn off his head. What felt like a red-hot poker was being driven into the base of Wolf's spine and he thrashed about in agony.

It felt like an eternity before the pain finally faded. Whimpering, Wolf lifted his face to look up at the moon. It seemed to be looking down on him with pride, pride for what he was under its gaze.

Suddenly fearful, Wolf looked away and stretched his still-aching limbs. He felt tired, so, so tired. He wanted nothing more than to flop down right where he stood and sleep for the rest of the night. But that would let the supervisors know that he had taken his potion without being ordered. It would mark him as insubordinate and he would be punished severely.

Wolf sniffed the air and picked up a trace of his fellow werewolves among the gross smells of decay that filled this part of the forest. Huffing with resignation, he followed the trail.

The werewolf pack of Artemisia was a sight to behold, if you had the courage to actually look at it. Dozens of wolves in all shapes and sizes wove between the trees, snarling and snapping at each-other. Fights were breaking out at an almost constant rate, with werewolves doing their best to tear their opponent to pieces in an attempt to secure their dominance and satiate their bloodlust. The only thing keeping them from killing each other were the wizards firing sparks at the battlers to break them up, and on occasion the more peaceful werewolves to further agitate them. Some werewolves paced around the wizards, hunger and savagery gleaming in their wild eyes, and occasionally one would launch themselves at the humans. When that happened, fractured lines of burning light would spread over a previously invisible dome and the unfortunate werewolf was sent flying, the distinct smell of singed fur clinging to them as they whimpered in agony on the ground.

Forcing a feral snarl, Wolf leapt into the chaotic mess, snapping his jaws at all the werewolves with the misfortune to be near him. They pranced out of reach and bared their teeth but didn't move. They remembered him from the other nights, after all. They bore scars from his teeth and claws.

Wolf lifted his face to the sky and howled at the moon, announcing his arrival. One by one, the other werewolves turned to look at him. Some cowered, some bristled, and some even growled. But none approached. Because, of all the werewolves present, Wolf was the strongest. Wolf was the Alpha.

Sparks struck Wolf between his shoulder blades and he yelped, whirling to growl at the offender. Jael smirked back at him, black eyes taunting, identical to the way they were four years ago, when he got Wolf bitten.

_Ze'ev shuddered and rubbed his arms, wishing for possibly the millionth time that he'd thought to bring a coat. "How much farther do we need to go Mister Jael?"_

_The auror turned to smile at Ze'ev. "Not far at all young man. Why? Are you tired?"  
Ze'ev shook his head. "No Mister Jael, but I don't like to be out at night. Mother and Father say that's when the monsters come out."_

"_If they truly believed that, then they wouldn't have sent you on this errand now, would they?"_

_Ze'ev frowned. Mister Jael had told him that his parents wanted him to go to the outskirts of the village to catch some stray sheep, but Ze'ev wasn't entirely convinced. Mother and Father always hated it when he went that far, so why would they send him out there? But Mister Jael was an auror. Aurors were good, weren't they? He'd been taught to trust them._

Wolf lunged for the closest werewolf, trying to seem like the unfeeling monster he was supposed to be. He sank his fangs into the other wolf's shoulder, swallowing back the rush of bile that rose in his throat as the blood coated his tongue. The other wolf was wailing in pain, and Jael was laughing.

_Jael was laughing. _

_Ze'ev clutched at his arm in a vain attempt to stop the gush of blood. Tears were pouring down his cheeks and sobs tore from his throat. The werewolf was dead in front of him, its prone body still burning from Jael's spell. A part of him wished he'd been the one hit instead. _

_He'd been bitten. The werewolf had bitten him. He and his family would be cast out of the village, left to fend for themselves in the monster-infested wilderness. They were going to die, of hunger and thirst, if the monsters didn't kill them first. If Ze'ev didn't kill them first. And Jael was laughing._

Wolf threw the conquered wolf away and howled in victory. All the while his stomach was turning with disgust and fear. Disgust at the taste of the blood coating his tongue. Fear of the wizards surrounding the giant pack.

_Ze'ev had never been more afraid in his life. Jael was smirking as he led Ze'ev across the rocky plains and small hillocks, and further and further away from his village. _

_He cast a miserable glance at the disgusting scar on his arm. Jael had sealed the wound with some sort of potion, but the memory remained. _

"_Where are you taking me?" Ze'ev asked quietly._

"_To your new home." Jael said proudly._

"_But I already have a home. I have the village, I have my family!"  
Jael laughed mockingly. "Oh Ze'ev, are you forgetting your own customs? I know that those peasants will have cast you out the moment they saw that wound on your arm, and your family with too. That mudhole is no longer your home, Ze'ev. But there is a new place, a better place for you."  
"What about my family?" Ze'ev demanded._

"_They aren't coming."_

"_But do they know that I'm going?"_

"_No, and they aren't going to. Honestly Ze'ev, do you honestly think they would want you, now that you're a monster?"_

A challenging growl from behind was Wolf's only warning. Whirling around, Wolf reared up to meet the challenger as it charged at him. It dragged its sharp claws across his chest, ripping through what was left of his shirt and drawing five bloody lines across the flesh.

_Ze'ev struggled against the grip of the Alpha, flailing pathetically against the bigger, stronger wolf's grip. With an air of disdain, the Alpha released him, letting Ze'ev fall in a heap to the dirt. _

_The Alpha snarled with disgust and turned his back on Ze'ev. He supposed the gesture was supposed to be insulting, but he was mostly just glad that the Alpha's attention wasn't on him anymore. _

_Struggling to his feet, he limped away to the outer circle of the werewolves. For over a year he had lived in this training camp, and he still couldn't decide which was worse: when the supervisors let the wolves keep their minds and forced them to fight, or when they were just mindless beasts for the night, and sometimes day. Either way, they suffered._

_Jael walked over, clapping his hands in a satisfied way. "Good work Ze'ev, you're getting stronger by the day. Brock, please, don't play with your food."_

_The Alpha glared at Ze'ev and he shrank down to the ground in fear. _

"_Anyway, I have an announcement to make!" Jael continued cheerfully, "We have a new addition to our pack!"_

_The wolves gave no reaction. All a new pack member meant was yet another monster to fight against for rank._

_Jael snapped his fingers and whistled, and the new wolf crept forward tentatively, eying their new packmates with trepidation._

_Ze'ev raised his muzzle and sniffed the air, frowning at the newcomer's scent. It was… familiar, somehow. But from what? Where had Ze'ev smelled this scent before?_

_Jael gestured to the wolf dramatically. "Meet your new pack member: Ran Kesley!"_

_A strangled bark erupted from Ze'ev's throat, and the other wolves whined in laughter. Jael smirked at him. "Ah, yes, you would recognise that name wouldn't you Ze'ev? After all, who could forget their own brother?"_

_Ran's eyes widened with shock as he stared at Ze'ev. What had he thought had happened to him all those years ago when he first disappeared? Had he thought he was dead? Did his parents think he was dead? Did they think Ran was dead too?_

_Ran was the first to look away, shakily approaching the crowd of werewolves, studying the beasts with wide eyes. They looked at him too, though their gazes were cold and calculating, already figuring how easy Ran would be to beat in a fight._

_Brock was the first to make a move, striking Ran across the muzzle with a giant paw. The smaller wolf yelped in pain and was sent tumbling into the dirt while Brock looked on arrogantly. _

_A surge of protective rage rushed through Ze'ev. With a ferocious snarl, he leapt onto Brock's back, digging his claws into the skin and sinking his fangs into Brock's shoulder. The Alpha growled and reached around to pluck Ze'ev from his back as if he was no more than an irritating tick, throwing him to the ground hard._

_Ze'ev struggled clumsily to his feet eying the Alpha warily, but the other wolf paid him no attention. Instead, he sauntered away from the ring, the wolves parting around him._

_Ze'ev didn't bother to watch him go, instead rushing to his brother, who was painfully struggling back to his feet. He moved to help Ran up, but he stepped out of Ze'ev's reach. He didn't think too much of it. Ran had always been independent. But when he snapped his head around to growl at Ze'ev… that had been surprising. _

_Taking a startled step back, Ze'ev searched his brother's gaze, trying to find why he was acting this way, why he was growling at Ze'ev. He was only trying to help! Why would Ran be mad? _

_But he didn't see relief, or gratitude. Just anger, and… hate. Ran hated him. His own brother hated him._

Wolf forcibly shoved the challenger away from him, gripping it by the scruff of its neck with his teeth and throwing it at a nearby wolf. He had to suppress a cringe as they immediately started tearing chunks out of each-other. Never mind that Wolf was the one who had used one of them as a weapon against the other. All they cared about was defeating the other wolf, so they could raise their rank.

_Ze'ev ran his tongue over his teeth, wincing slightly as he encountered his fangs. They'd been gradually growing over the last three years, as if the frequent transformations were affecting even his human form. _

_Jael walked along the line of assembled boys, pausing at each one. Whenever he paused, he would fish out a jar of glowing silver light from his pocket and stick his wand inside. As he retracted his wand, a shining silver orb followed the tip. Jael twirled his wand around in a circle, and the orb would become more of a silver ribbon. With a flick of his wrist, the ribbon would swirl around the boy he paused at. Then Ze'ev had to fight to keep himself from cringing as the boy howled and screamed with pain as he transformed into his werewolf form._

_One by one, with each boy, Jael repeated this process, turning them each in turn into the beasts they should only become during a night of a full moon. _

_Finally, they had all been changed. Ze'ev shifted uncomfortably under the sunlight, every instinct screaming at him the wrongness of the light warming his fur. _

"_Alright wolves." Jael announced, pocketing his wand. "Non-lethal sparring matches today. No claws and no teeth are to be used, only brute strength and your own ingenuity. You may begin."_

_The wolves sauntered off to find their opponents. Ran growled and snapped at them, trying to pick a fight, but they passed him by as if he wasn't even there. After all, what attention does the Omega deserve?_

_A growl sounded in Ze'ev's ear and he huffed, already knowing who the challenger was before he even turned to look. _

_Brock had been challenging him a lot lately. But though he won every fight, he no longer acted triumphant and arrogant. Instead, he just kept on challenging Ze'ev. Over and over and over. And Ze'ev knew why. He was bigger than him now. He was bigger than all the wolves, and the wizards. And the biggest wolf was usually Alpha. In Ze'ev's personal opinion. Brock was just being paranoid, but what could he do? Brock wasn't really the type to listen to reason._

_Ze'ev widened his stance and narrowed his eyes at Brock, waiting for him to make the first move. His ear flicked back briefly. He was going to pounce._

_Just in time, Ze'ev dodged out of the way, fastening his teeth into Brock's scruff and tossing him away. The Alpha snarled and his claws twitched. He was going to go for Ze'ev's legs._

_Again, Ze'ev dodged, swinging his paw around to land a blow on Brock's skull. Brock yelped and growled in frustration. He lunged, and swung, and kicked and pounced. And every time Ze'ev dodged and blocked. He knew what to look for. He could see the signs, the little things that told which attack Brock was going for. He knew them from years of fighting and watching. He knew everyone's signs. He could find them, and he could beat them. _

_Suddenly, Brock slashed at Ze'ev's face, drawing a weeping scratch along his forehead. He looked over at Jael, wondering whether he saw the infraction. Jael was watching, he saw. But he did nothing._

_Brock lunged again, giant teeth flashing, and Ze'ev ducked out of the way, darting in to bite down on Brock's leg. He howled in pain, instinctively leaning on his good leg. Ze'ev used it to barrel into his side, knocking the other wolf off balance and sending him tumbling into the dirt. He planted his paws between Brock's shoulder blades, pinning him, and looked again at Jael. This was the part where Jael declared the winner, where the fight ended. But Jael didn't move._

_A searing pain tore through Ze'ev's shoulder, and he looked down to see Brock had fastened his claws in the flesh, a challenge in his eyes. There was only one way he was going to give up. Ze'ev squared his shoulders, steeling himself for what he was about to do, and lunged for Brock's throat._

Sparks rained down on the werewolf pack, scattering them and sending them running through the trees to escape their tormentors. Wolf ran too, deliberately choosing the path that was closest to the castle. The moon was starting to dip, and the faint glow of sunrise could just be seen. But there was something Wolf had to do before he transformed back into human form.

The orbs of silver light on the Star Tree were still glowing brightly, despite the dawning of the new day. Wolf gripped one of the vines between his teeth, grinding his sharp fangs together until it snapped and came loose. He whined with relief when the orbs continued to glow just as bright. He stuffed the vine in his mouth, and trotted back into the woods to change form.

**A/N: Man, this was a long one! But worth it. **

**Wolf's backstory everyone! As well as a glimpse into the life of a werewolf. But what's he planning on doing with that vine? And does anyone else think Ran is an ungrateful little weasel? **

**Please review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Scarlet**

Scarlet didn't think she'd ever been more confused in her life.

It had been a full moon the night before, which meant that Wolf would have had to transform and become a full werewolf. After an experience like that, she should comfort him or support or do something to help with what he was going through. Right? Or would it be better to just pretend that it never happened and that Wolf was just a normal guy who slept the night away just like everyone else? Merlin knows he definitely hated talking about his condition, but Merlin also knows that he could use some support with it since Scarlet was willing to bet the school wasn't giving him any. But what could you say to comfort a werewolf? It's not your fault? Yeah, that would totally work on Wolf, the person who dedicates half of his brain to blaming himself for everything.

Scarlet groaned and rested her head on the open textbook in front of her. Maybe she'd feel a bit more certain on what to do if her brain wasn't all jumbled up from studying all morning. Honestly, when is conjuring birds ever going to be useful in her life? Why was it a part of her N.E. ?

"You seem frustrated." An amused voice remarked.

Scarlet turned her head to glare up at Wolf, who looked suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh. "I'm practicing a useless spell, what do you expect?"

"Fair enough." He conceded, pulling up a chair beside her. "What is this "useless spell" anyway?"

"The bird-conjuring charm, _Avis._"

There was a loud bang and a puff of smoke from Scarlet's wand sitting on her desk, and a font of yellow feathers gushed from the wand tip, forcefully smacking into the bookshelf in front of them.

Scarlet raised a finger at Wolf, who's shoulders were now shaking with suppressed laughter. "Not a word."

He nodded even as a snort managed to escape him.

Scarlet furiously tucked her still smoking wand back into her waistband and threw aside her textbook, reaching for her copy of _Fighting Shadows. _She seriously doubted that studying the Patronus charm would help with her frustration, but at least it didn't create an explosion of feathers.

"I don't suppose you've figured out the trick to the Patronus charm have you?" she sighed.

Wolf shrugged apologetically. "No, sorry. Don't have a lot of happy memories to choose from."

Scarlet winced. "Right, sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Scarlet shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Here was the puzzle again. Either try to think of something to comfort Wolf, or just sit back and pretend she had no idea why he couldn't summon any happy memories because he was a totally normal person. Argh, why was this so hard?

"I asked Professor Clay if he knew anything about how the school… you know, messes with my illness." Wolf said awkwardly.

Scarlet nearly choked. "Wolf! You didn't have to do that! What if Jael or Aimery finds out? You'll be in so much trouble!"

"Yeah, I know, I should have just stayed out of it. But… I wanted to help you." He admitted bashfully.

Scarlet frowned. Wait a second, was that a confession? It sounded a lot like a confession.

Wolf cleared his throat. "Anyway, about what Professor Clay told me, he said that they use moonlight they gather from a specific tree so I picked some up last night."

"I'm starting to think you like putting yourself in danger." Scarlet grumbled.

"Well, when you think about it, the only ones actually obligated to have any part of this are Cinder, Kai, Jacin, Winter and Thorne. They're the only ones the centaurs actually saw. The rest of you could have just stayed out of it." He grinned at her sheepishly. "So, technically, you're just as guilty of putting yourself in danger as I am."

Scarlet stared at him. "You've… put a lot of thought into this."

Wolf shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to think about it."

"Clearly." Scarlet remarked. "Well, you've dug yourself into this suicide adventure real deep now, but if you want I can keep your involvement in figuring out the school's little side job a secret. If the others know you've been helping they're not going to let you back out."

"I figured."

"And there's a very high risk that the school will find out your investigating this, and they don't exactly know the meaning of the word: mercy."

"I know."

"Plus you'll have to spend a fair amount of time hanging out with the others, and you haven't seemed very keen to talk to them lately."

"I wasn't eager to have conversations with several people who know about my condition, at least one of whom utterly despises people like me, but I can deal with it."

"Are you sure? Jacin's hardly subtle."

"He'll be too busy insulting Thorne to worry about me."

Scarlet couldn't help but chuckle at that.

A brief smile flickered across Wolf's face, but was quickly overtaken by a frown. "Trust me Scarlet, I know how dangerous it is to help you. But I'm already up to my neck in what the school's doing, and I'm not exactly safe anyway. Guys have died during training, some of them by my own hands. I can only hold out so long before I get killed as well. So, really, helping you guys out and getting caught is pretty much just speeding up the inevitable."

Scarlet winced. "That is the most morbid form of optimism I've ever heard."

"I wasn't being optimistic."

"Oh." She said dumbly. "Seriously though, this isn't doing a very good job of convincing me that you'll be fine if you help us out. It is making me feel really sorry for you though. You have to deal with this every month?"

"You get used to it after a while." Wolf assured her.

Scarlet frowned. "Define "a while"."

He looked down at the ground. "A little over a year."

Scarlet shook her head wonderingly. "How are you not insane?"

"I'm not entirely sure that I'm not." Wolf admitted, "I can name some other guys who have definitely lost their sanity, but they've had to deal with this way longer than I have."

Scarlet rubbed her forehead. She doubted she would ever be able to hear the word "werewolf" again without experiencing a pang of pity for the creatures. And the school exploited them? How do these people live with themselves?

"Scarlet."

She looked up at Wolf. His bright green eyes were more serious than she'd ever seen them. "Let me help. I'd be in no less danger than I already am in just with my illness. And besides, this might be my chance to get out of it. This could _help_ me. Please, just let me help you out."

Scarlet looked down at her textbook, which held the instructions for a charm Wolf would never be able to do because of the school. She looked up at Wolf's face, covered in scars from countless battles the school had forced him into. She looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching into fists.

Finally, she sighed. "Alright. I'll let the others know that you're in."

**A/N: Stars almighty I love Wolflet.**

**Wolf is officially a part of the crew! But will he be able to help? **

**Please review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Kai**

Kai furiously wrote on his sheet of paper, the tip of his quill fraying slightly under the pressure. His normally neat handwriting was now more of a hasty scrawl, and he would probably have to re-write the whole essay later if he actually wanted Professor Torin to be able to read it, but at this moment he couldn't care less. He just wanted to find some distraction from the books of Dark Magic surrounding him. They seemed to have invisible eyes embedded into their chained covers, staring at Kai from nearly every angle and sending ants crawling up his spine. But this was where he was supposed to meet the others, so he would just have to put up with it.

His shoulders slumped with relief when Thorne and Cress finally arrived. For some reason, she seemed to be pushing him along, and he was carefully feeling along the bookshelves.

"Are you looking for Dark Magic spells for your pranks now?" Kai asked him light-heartedly.

Thorne rolled his eyes. "Please, even I have limits. I'm just trying to keep myself oriented."

Kai cocked his head to one side. "Why? You sense of direction's only shockingly bad on a broom."

"I'll have you know I'm a great flyer!"

"You spent one of last year's Quidditch games upside down the whole time!"

Thorne nodded smugly. "Exactly! Only a truly skilled player can pull that off. Have the others arrived yet?"

Kai raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. What kind of a question was that? "Is that a trick question?"

"No. I genuinely want to know if the others have arrived yet and are just being weirdly quiet."

"Well, no, they aren't here. It's kinda obvious."

Thorne shook his head bitterly. "Not for me."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

Thorne pressed his lips together tightly, obviously unwilling to answer.

Cress shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "You remember how Thorne made Sybil go bald?"

"Remember?" Kai grinned, "That episode in the Great Hall made my day!"

"Well, as punishment, Levana… caused Thorne to go blind." Cress mumbled.

Kai's jaw hit the floor. "What? I thought she would've just sent you to the dungeons!"

"Yeah, well, since that didn't work before she figured it was time for a more drastic punishment." Thorne suddenly grinned. "But hey! Now I can get out of writing essays since, you know, I can't see what I'm writing. And my parents won't be able to chew me out for flunking tests!"

Kai rolled his eyes, but a small smile twitched across his face at Thorne's attempt at optimism. "Figures you'd use a punishment as an excuse for not doing any work."

"And figures you'd actually be surprised."

Thorne cupped a hand to his ear dramatically. "Is that the sarcastic tones of Jacin Clay I hear?"

Jacin rolled his ice blue eyes and Winter giggled beside him.

"So Wolf's coming this time, right?" Jacin asked.

Kai nodded then, remembering Thorne, quickly followed by saying, "Yes, he's coming. Try not to say anything insulting, okay?"

"Fine. I'll just stick to how he's a danger to society in general."

Winter swatted him on the shoulder.

"Winter, that was a joke!"

"Better not say any jokes like that when Scarlet gets here. She'll send you flying into next week."

Kai looked up and grinned at the new arrival. "Hey Iko!"

She glared at him. "Don't expect me to smile back after forcing me to study. I swear I've read every book in the library on werewolves now!"  
"All one hundred and fifteen of them?" Jacin drawled.

"Sure feels that way! Wait, you actually counted them?"

"No. Winter did."  
"I wanted to see how many of the books in the library would attack me with claws and fangs." Winter said matter-of-factly, "Turns out, only dragon books do that. There are one hundred and twenty-seven books on dragons in this library."

Thorne whistled. "Damn, even Kai's not that dedicated to books."

"Why did you count them?" Cress asked Winter curiously.

"I was bored. I wanted something to do."

Iko smirked at her. "You do realise that the cure for boredom is doing something fun, not boring, right?"

Winter stared at her. "But counting the books was fun."

"You sound like Kai." Iko said.

A snigger sounded from the entrance to the Dark Section and everyone looked up to see who'd shown up.

Scarlet grinned at them and gave a short wave of her hand in greeting. Behind her, Wolf was twitching and shifting his weight awkwardly.

Kai smiled and waved them over. "Hey guys! Thanks for showing Wolf!"

The tall boy nodded and followed Scarlet to join the rest of the group.

Iko cast an uneasy glance at Kai. "Cinder's not going to be coming so we should probably start now."

"Why isn't she coming?" Kai asked worriedly.

Iko hesitated. "She's… not feeling very well. I promised to fill her in on what we talked about later."

Kai frowned. It didn't sound like Cinder to skip out on one of their meetings just because she was sick. She was way too stubborn for that. Did something happen? Was she alright? Maybe he should go check on her. But Cinder wouldn't want him to cancel the meeting just because she wasn't there. She would've said so! Right?

Hesitantly, he suggested, "Maybe we should call this off, just until she's feeling better."

"No way." Jacin said firmly, "Winter and I have some serious news, and now that Wolf's finally here we might actually stand a chance at figuring out a plan to get the werewolves out of the forest. I'm sorry Kai, but this can't wait."

Kai glared at him, tempted to argue further, but Cress cut him off before he could speak. "What serious news?"

Jacin scowled. "Professor Park. Winter told me the other day that he saw us talking about getting the werewolves out of the forest."

Kai felt the blood drain away from his face. "So the school knows then?"

"Not yet. Cress managed to erase Aimery's memory of seeing anything, but he definitely knows something's up. You've all noticed him looking at us funny, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"I just thought he was being his regular creepy self." Iko muttered.

Jacin shook his head. "He knows that we did something. He can't remember what, but he does know. Now we just have to hope that he won't figure out there's a blank space in his brain and get it fixed."

"It's my fault." Cress murmured softly, "I messed up the charm!"

Thorne squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, don't be like that. You did the best you could. I doubt any of us could've even cast the charm."

"Thorne is right Cress-friend." Winter said, "If any of us did it we'd probably erase the wrong memory. You did a great job."

One by one, the others chimed in their agreement, and Cress managed a weak smile, though her eyes were still dark with guilt.

Scarlet cleared her throat. "Well, after that depressing stuff, I think we could all go for some good news."

"And you actually have some?" Jacin asked, "I'm dying to hear it."

"I'm pretty sure Jacin was being sarcastic just then but I really am dying to hear some good new right now." Kai said desperately.

Scarlet grinned and threw an arm around Wolf's shoulders. Kai couldn't help but notice that his ears turned bright red.

"Wolf here found out how the school forces the werewolves to transform when it's not a full moon!" Scarlet said proudly.

Kai grinned. Finally, they had a lead! "Great! How does it work?"

Wolf bit his lip awkwardly. "I don't know all the details exactly, but they use a spell that requires moonlight gathered from this tree…"

"The Star Tree?" Jacin guessed.

"Yeah, that. So the other night I took some Wolfsbane potion and gathered some."

As he spoke, Wolf took out a small jar from his pocket. Kai recognised a piece of one of the Star Tree's vines, its leaves wilted slightly from being away from the main plant, but instead of golden orbs of light, the faintly glowing beads resting under the leaves were silver.

Jacin scowled. "While this is all well and good, it doesn't actually help us figure out how to get rid of the werewolves."

Kai grinned at him. "Sure it does! If they need moonlight from the Star Tree to make the spell work, then we just need to alter the Star Tree's magic so it can't gather moonlight."

"He said, as if it were easy." Scarlet muttered.

"I think I might be able to do it."

Everyone turned to look at Cress. Her pale cheeks flushed pink under their scrutiny, but she continued, "I've had some practice altering the functions of magical objects. I might be able to alter the Star Tree's magic slightly to keep it from collecting moonlight."

"What about stored moonlight?" Iko asked, "I know that if I were using a spell that required a certain, rare component, I'd store tonnes of it just in case I lost access to my source."

"I can try looking for it." Wolf suggested, "I can sort-of sense the moonlight, so I'd probably have the best chance of finding their stash."

Kai nodded. "Great! Now we actually have a plan!"

Iko stood up. "I'll go tell Cinder. She'll be pleased that we're actually making progress."  
"I can do it!" Kai said quickly.

Iko raised an eyebrow, but grinned and made a flourishing motion with her arms. "Well, who am I to keep you away from your crush?"

**A/N: I think you can tell who our star couple will be next week.**

**Please review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

It was probably a bad idea for Cinder to be sitting on the edge of the Black Woods, which just so happened to be full of centaurs out for her blood and might have one or two werewolves wandering around in the daytime biting and killing stuff. But right then, she couldn't care less. She didn't care about the centaurs, she didn't care about the werewolves, she didn't even care about the meeting that she was missing right now with the rest of the Centaurs' Most Wanted. All she cared about, was the letter clutched in her hand. The writing was almost illegible, smudged and run through the paper with random drops of water, but that didn't matter to Cinder. She knew what it said, and she doubted she'd ever forget. The cold, unfeeling words marched across her thoughts like a grim, grey army, the syllables seeming to scream at her with every footstep.

_Dear Cinder Linh,_

_We regret to inform you that Peony Linh, at 7 o'clock this morning, Beijing time, passed away as a result of contracting the disease known as letumosis. Our heart-felt sorrows go out to you and your family._

_Our deepest condolences,_

_Phoenix Hospital_

Peony was dead. Cinder knew it was going to happen. The odds of the wizard medical industry finding a cure to letumosis was pretty much non-existent. Cinder knew this, but the shock of Peony's death still felt like a bludger had been driven straight through her chest. Never again would Peony come up to her asking her to fix her sneakoscope. Never again would she listen to Peony gushing about boys. Never again would Peony run up to her giggling about her new dress. All those little things that made Cinder's life with her adoptive family bearable were made by Peony. Peony giggling, Peony complaining, Peony being sarcastic, Peony being… Peony. That was all gone, for good. And it was never coming back. Cinder closed her eyes, trying to imagine a life back home without her bubbly little sister, but she couldn't see it. All she could see was Pearl imperiously demanding she fix her two-way mirror, Adri forcing her to do yet more chores, and both of them glaring at her, accusation burning in their eyes, blaming her for the death of the one light in the dark, poisonous household.

Cinder despondently tilted her head up to look at the sky. Whatever magic held winter at bay here at Artemisia seemed to be weakening, for the sky was a miserable grey and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Or maybe the world was just quietly grieving for the loss of Peony's bright, pure heart.

Cinder looked down, eyes stinging, to see a pair of shoes had materialised in front of her. She stared at them, trying to focus around the tears slowly spilling from her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. They were smart shoes, black, shiny and neatly laced. They were attached to some legs, wearing neatly pressed black pants, which was attached to a torso wearing a crisp white button down shirt, which was attached to a head, gazing down at her with worried copper-brown eyes.

Cinder looked back down. "Hello Kai."

He knelt down in front of her. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer at first. Peony's death felt like an open wound, and talking about it seemed about as helpful as driving thorns into it. But even as the thought surfaced in the grief-ridden depths of her mind, other thoughts rose with it. Iko comforting Cinder when she first received the letter stating Peony's sickness. Kai holding her as she cried on his shoulder. Kai's sob-torn voice as he told her about his father's death that morning. His father's death by letumosis.

Kai had lost family to letumosis. He knew the pain of receiving each letter, telling him without emotion that a loved one was one step closer to dying. Her other friends could give her comforting words and sympathetic glances, but Kai… Kai could understand. And that counted for so, so much.

"I got a letter this morning." Cinder murmured. Her voice sounded weak and wavering, even to her own ears. "From Phoenix Hospital."

Kai's eyes widened. "Your sister… is she…?"

Cinder hugged her knees closer to her chest before nodding.

She didn't resist as Kai wrapped and arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Her only movement was turning her head to bury her face in his chest. Kai didn't speak. He knew that words weren't what Cinder needed right then. What she needed was someone to be there, to offer a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold onto. And Kai was doing just that.

"Thank you." She whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure he'd hear her.

"No need to thank me. What're friends for?" he replied, his voice just as soft.

Cinder tilted her head upward to look at him. "Friends?"

Kai frowned briefly, before his eyes widened slightly in recognition. Cinder felt her prosthetics start to grow warm as his gaze briefly darted to her lips, but not quite as violently as before. She decided to take that as a good sign.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned toward Kai, pressing her lips to his.

**A/N: Sorry this is so short but… KAIDER! FINALLY AFTER SO MUCH BUILD-UP THEY'RE OFFICIALLY A COUPLE IN THIS STORY!**

**Please review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cress**

Cress's eyes frantically scanned the pages of the book in front of her. She'd been studying feverishly ever since the meeting, attracting more than a few stares from her classmates because who studies in the last week of the school term? But she absolutely had to get this right.

Cress hadn't been lying when she said that she could alter the Star Tree's magic. She used to practice with the magical objects that Sybil used to keep her in line, and had gotten quite good at it. She'd altered the sneakoscopes to activate when she got the wrong answer on one of Sybil's practice tests. She'd altered the two-way mirror above her bed so it only ever showed it neatly made and Cress diligently studying at her desk. She'd even built her own deluminator so she could quickly turn the lights of when she was staying up too late playing exploding snap with Little Cress. But all those times she'd at least had some idea of how the enchantments worked. But the Star Tree? She was on much thinner ground there. She knew it gathered sunlight and moonlight and turned them into the little glowing orbs nestled in its leaves, and that was it.

"I still don't see why you didn't bring one of the others." Said an uneasy voice above her, "I'm not that much good as a lookout."

Cress smiled shyly up at Thorne, who was staring blankly at the curtain of softly glowing vines surrounding them. "I'm supposed to look after you, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't hate not being able to do something to help you. Come on Cress, I'm about as useless as a scarecrow!"

"Scarecrow's can't cast spells." Cress pointed out.

"I don't know about that. My dad made me stay at a farm for a while to try and improve my work ethic or something, and the scarecrow there shot sparks anytime the crows came in range. Or my dad. The scarecrow didn't discriminate."

Cress grinned. "Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with that?"

Thorne smirked in her general direction.

Did it make Cress a bad person to be a bit glad that Thorne was blind? It was just that, suddenly, she had an excuse to spend as much time with him as she wanted without him being suspicious why. She could talk to him without worrying if he'd see her cheeks flushing pink. She could hold his hand under the pretence of guiding him to his next class. Cress wanted him to get better of course, but it was just so much easier this way, to be around him without having to be afraid that he'd put two-and-two together and start distancing himself from her.

She sighed softly and turned another page.

"You're not seriously still studying, are you?" Thorne asked incredulously.

"I don't want to mess this up."

"Have you ever messed up a spell in your life?"

"I messed up the Memory Charm on Professor Park."

"You erased the right memories and didn't destroy his brain in the process. I wouldn't call that messing up." Thorne cocked his head to one side. "Come to think of it, do you think you could try that Charm again? Just without concentrating so much."

Cress giggled in spite of herself.

"Come on, you're worrying too much." Thorne said encouragingly, "You'll do fine, trust me. Just relax, focus, and bam! You'll realise you've done it!"

Cress bit her lip, desperately wishing she shared at least some of Thorne's confidence.

Reluctantly, she put her book down and stood, facing the trunk of the Star Tree. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and lightly tapped the trunk of the tree. Veins of gold and silver glowed inside the wood, shining brightly even in the midday sun. Cress's brow creased in concentration as she gently started tracing the silver paths with her wand. "_Diffindo._"

Thin tears appeared on the paths, leaking soft, silver light all over the lush grass surrounding the trunk of the tree.

"Is it working?" Thorne called over to her.

Cress shushed him as she continued to sever the paths of lights.

"What is going on in here?" An all-too familiar voice suddenly said.

Cress yelped, accidentally cutting of a vine of the tree, and stared fearfully at the thin wall of leaves and vines that was all that separated her from the voice. Unconsciously, she reached up to finger the jagged ends of her hair. The snap of scissor blades rang in her ears, almost drowning out the heavy footfalls rapidly growing closer to the wall of vines.

Without warning, Thorne charged through the vines, shoving them out of his way as he left the safety of the tree. "BOO!"

Cress couldn't suppress a little smile at Professor Mira's undignified yelp before turning back to her task, gently and carefully tracing the paths of moonlight along the trunk of the tree.

Out in the open, Thorne was cackling happily. "Oh man, I wish I could've seen your face!"

"Carswell," Sybil's voice shook with anger, "what are you doing?"

"I know it wasn't up to my usual standards, but it was still a good prank, right?" Thorne asked cheerfully, "I can't exactly create new and hilarious concoctions since I can't see. But I do have a reputation to keep."

Cress bit her lip to suppress her laughter as she continued to work her way down the trunk.

"Two hundred points from Gold!" Sybil said sharply, "And two weeks of detention! Let's see what an afternoon of preparing potion's ingredients will do for your rudeness."

"Nothing." Thorne told her bluntly, "Professor Torin already tried that. I did make a new stink bomb from the left-over pieces of toad though!"

The ground around Cress's feet was now completely silver. Where the beautiful silver paths once graced the Star Tree's trunk were now dark ugly gashes.

"Then it seems I'll have to resort to more drastic measures." Sybil said coldly.

"The headmistress already tried that. You just witnessed how well that worked out."

Cress was too scared to blink, lest she make a mistake. The silver veins were all but gone now. She just needed a little more time…

"I'm sure I have something that will make the message sink in." Cress could practically hear the humourless smile on Sybil's lips.

"Doubt it. Hey, are you still wearing a wig? Or have you resorted to headscarves now?"

Finally, the last traces of the moonlight spilled away. Breathing an exhausted sigh, Cress tapped the tree trunk with her wand, and the glowing veins of golden sunlight and ruthless tears where there used to be moonlight disappeared.

She glanced at the ground, relief blooming in her chest as she saw that the moonlight was rapidly fading away. Beaming, she ran through the curtain of vines. But as quickly as it lit up her face, the smile dropped away as she saw Sybil dragged Thorne towards the castle by his arm.

**A/N: I'm having trouble deciding which is more fun to write: Thorne talking to Sybil, or Jacin talking to everyone except Winter.**

**I snuck in a small reference to one of the Harry Potter movies here. I challenge you to spot it ;)**

**Please review!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Scarlet**

When Wolf had said that he could sense moonlight, Scarlet had imagined him being able to head straight for the school's stash. She did not expect having to wander around aimlessly, waiting for him to get an inkling as to what direction they should go in. But it seemed to be working. Occasionally he would change direction, that was a good sign. Right?

"Have you ever sensed the moonlight before?" she asked, "Just if you were heading to your next class or something?"

Wolf frowned. "I think so, but I guess I just put it down to my condition acting up."

"I'm not sure that's how your condition works." Scarlet said sceptically.

"Maybe not with most lycanthropes but transforming at the wrong times has created some… side effects."

"Ah."

Wolf paused, cocking his head to one side as if he was listening, before walking into a different corridor. "I think it's this way."

"What does the moonlight feel like?" Scarlet asked curiously.

Wolf shook his head. "It's hard to describe. I feel a sort-of pull, I guess, and I start thinking about things like why I don't have a tail. I think it's trying to make me… you know. Change."

Scarlet narrowed her eyes in concern. "You know, you don't have to do this if you think it's going to make you transform."

Wolf offered her a small smile. "I think I'll be fine. Besides, how else are you guys going to find this stash?"

Scarlet rubbed her arm uncomfortably but said nothing.

Wolf paused for a second and cocked his head again, a scowl darkening his features. Scarlet opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, when he abruptly turned on his heel and walked back a few steps before pausing again. His scowl deepened.

"Wolf?" Scarlet asked, "Everything okay?"

Wolf didn't answer. He narrowed his eyes at the wall beside them and hesitantly put his hand on the white stone. Instantly, her drew back his hand, hissing and cradling it to his chest as if he'd been burned. Was it just Scarlet's imagination, or were his nails slightly longer and sharper than usual?

Wolf glared resentfully at the wall. "I think the stash is behind there."

"You're sure?" Scarlet asked, placing her own hand against the stones. It didn't feel any different, just plain old stone. But then again, she wasn't a werewolf.

"Positive." Wolf insisted.

Scarlet tugged her wand out of her waistband and pointed it at the wall. But before she could even open her mouth, Wolf's fingers had wrapped around hers, shocking her into silence.

"Pretty sure blowing up the wall isn't going to do anything." He said, "The teachers have probably enchanted it to be resistant against that kind of magic in case one of the werewolves got too nosy, or a student screwed up a spell."

"Yeah… that makes sense." Scarlet mumbled, her gaze locked on Wolf's hand, "So… what other options are there?"

The warmth of his fingers lingered as he let her go. "Maybe a password?"

"What kind of password would the teachers use?"

"Lunars rule?" Wolf suggested.

Scarlet snorted in laughter.

She took a step back to study the wall, hoping for some kind of indication on what they should do. But all she saw were perfect white stones, exact duplicates of every other stone in the castle. The gaps between them weren't wider, there were no cracks or holes. Scarlet gritted her teeth in frustration. Why couldn't things be easy, just once?

She raised her wand again. "Accio moonlight."

Nothing happened.

Scarlet pocketed her wand and shrugged at Wolf. "Hey, it was worth a try."

"I think everything's worth a try at this point." He muttered.

"Okay, how about we stick with your password idea?" Scarlet said.

Wolf scowled at the wall. "It would take forever to figure out the password just by guesswork."

"Then we'll do educated guesswork. You've been part of this whole conspiracy for a while now, right? Surely you must have heard them say something?"  
Wolf shook his head hopelessly. "I'm sorry. They never even say the incantation they use to transform us out loud, let alone a password to a stash of pure moonlight."

Scarlet patted him on the arm. "It's okay. The teachers have probably had this going on for years. They're obviously good at keeping secrets."

Wolf smiled at her shakily, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Let's try some other passwords." Scarlet said encouragingly. "How about… "Werewolf"?"

The wall didn't change.

Scarlet scowled in annoyance. "Okay… maybe "Full Moon"?"

Still nothing.

""All Hail Levana"?"

Still nothing, but Wolf chuckled a little.

Growling in frustration, Scarlet kicked the wall, hard. The wall didn't budge and, to add salt to the wound, now her foot hurt. Perfect.

"I thought we already established that attacking the wall isn't going to do anything." Wolf said, his smile teetering between amusement and concern.

"I was hoping it would make me feel a bit better at least." Scarlet grumbled.

"I take it that didn't work?"  
"Well aren't you the ace detective."

Wolf's smile widened, but as he cast a glance down at the hand he'd touched the wall with, it slipped off his face, leaving behind a dark frown. His hand looked back to normal now, but from his eyes you'd think it was already a giant paw. "I think… I might have an idea for getting to the moonlight."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like it?"

Wolf studied the neatly interlocking slabs of rock that formed the wall. "I think I might be able to pull the moonlight towards me. I believe my condition summons it. If I can just pull the moonlight out from behind that wall… maybe we won't have to bother finding a way past it."

"And what if you absorb that moonlight?" Scarlet demanded, "Don't think I didn't notice the way your hand changed just by touching the wall."

Wolf flexed his fingers. "It's back to normal now."

"But how do you know you'll go back to normal after pulling all of the moonlight in there towards you? You hate transforming Wolf! Merlin's beard, you don't even like talking about transforming!"

Wolf cringed, but his voice was firm as he said, "If it comes to that… I want you to promise me you'll run."

"You mean, abandon you? No way!" Scarlet said furiously.

"I won't be able to control myself if I transform." Wolf said desperately, "Scarlet please, I… you're my best friend. I can't wake up and find that I've murdered you. I need you to promise me that if it even looks like I'm starting to transform, you'll run."

Scarlet stared at him, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. She wanted to argue, she wanted to say that Wolf would never hurt her. But if he transformed, he wouldn't be Wolf anymore. He wouldn't care less about all the time they spent together, how they had talked and laughed and joked. All he would see was a human that needed killing, and that was that.

"Scarlet, please." Wolf begged.

Scarlet sighed. "Alright Wolf. I promise."

He smiled with relief, though it was quickly replaced by trepidation as he looked again at the wall. His arm shook as he reached out to touch the stone.

He gritted his teeth, and a vaguely inhuman growl rumbled in his throat. The nails of his hand slowly lengthened, and fine brown fur sprouted on his knuckles. Scarlet stood still, torn between reaching out for him and running like she promised. She knew that Wolf would want her to do the latter but…

Silver light leaked out through the cracks in the wall in small blinding white ribbons. As she watched, they coiled up Wolf's legs, seeping into the fabric of his clothing and whatever open skin they could find. Wolf's breaths began to shorten.

More light spilled out from the cracks in the wall, growing faster and faster by the second. And every one of them gravitated towards Wolf, melting into his skin. Fur slowly grew over his arms, his neck, his face. Scarlet winced at the audible cracks as his body changed, growing hunched and lean. The growls turned into pained whines, and his green eyes glistened with agonised tears. As he looked at Scarlet, she could see the beginnings of fangs growing out from his jaw.

"Scarlet… please…" Wolf croaked, his voice hoarse from his slowly changing voice. "_run_…"

Scarlet wiped away a tear tracing its way down her pale freckled cheek. "I'm sorry Wolf."

Fighting the urge to look back, Scarlet turned on her heel and took off down the hallway, the agonised howls of her friend following her.

**A/N: Anybody up for a cliff-hanger?**

**Just a heads-up, I've got exams coming up, and I'm going to be studying like mad and might not be able to post on schedule all the time. I'm not giving up this story! I'm not ashamed to admit that I've completely fallen in love with it over all this time.**

**Please review!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

Slight whimpers whispered out between Wolf's fangs. His muscles ached from the pain of… what? Why did they hurt so much? Why did everything hurt so much? His limbs were burning, his jaw ached, but what hurt the most, was the hunger steadily gnawing at his stomach. He was so, so hungry.

Lifting his head, he sniffed the air, and immediately wretched. Wherever he was, it stank of… of… _magic._ Horrible magic that burned his fur and scorched his skin, that tossed him around and kept him away from the food. A growl rose in his throat as blurry memories of food smiling at him as he writhed in pain at their feet flashed across his mind. And he could never make them pay. The magic wouldn't let him.

Wolf huffed, accidentally inhaling again through his nose as he did so. The stink of magic once again enveloped him, but this time he could detect something else. Something strong. Something good. His tongue lolled out of his jaws with excitement, dribbling spit on the white ground beneath his paws. _Food._

Wolf tore down the hallway, his heart beating faster and the hunger in his stomach gnawing more and more desperately as the smell of food grew stronger. Water pooled in his jaws at the thought of the sweet meat, the warm red blood, the succulent bones. Soon, he wouldn't have to rely on imagination. Soon it will be real.

His ears pricked at the distinct sounds of food. The shrill, strange sounds of food. Wolf had heard them often enough to know them. And then, creeping along the confined white world he woke in, he saw them. Two of them. One tall with long, black fur sitting floppily on its head, the other slightly shorter with a strange unfocused look in its gaze.

Wolf whimpered with excitement as he crept closer. The taller one had seen him now, and was making gratifying, shrill, scared noises. It reached inside its fake pelt, and Wolf saw the gleam of sunlight on ivory as it pulled free the twig the food uses to cast magic.

He snarled. Magic wasn't getting in the way between him and his meal, not again.

With a roar, he pounced, knocking the food to the ground before it could use magic, and sank his teeth into its throat. The food stopped making its noise and went limp, the life draining out of its body. Pity. It was fun when the food struggled a little.

Wolf tore out chunks of the food's throat, savouring the warmth of the meat and lapping at the blood with his tongue. It was delicious, better than he had even imagined. The pangs of hunger increased, demanding more and more of the food. And Wolf was only too happy to comply.

There was a frantic, random thudding and Wolf looked up to see the other food running unsteadily down the path, slamming into the barriers and panting with fear and exhaustion. If Wolf really strained his ears, he could hear the frantic beat of its heart.

He straightened up from his meal. He could always come back for it later, and nothing beats the thrill of the chase.

Wolf took his time chasing after the food, barking and growling to let it know he was after it, but letting it continue its pathetic attempt at escape. It was so savory, so satisfying, to see the proud, cruel food terrified and in a panic because of him. After all the torment the food had inflicted on him, finally he was having his revenge. He was having a hard time deciding what tasted better, the food, or the food's fear.

And when the food led him to even more food, Wolf was glad he'd chosen the chase.

The food he had been chasing shrieked and howled at the rest of the food, waving its paws in the air. Wolf pricked his ears, waiting for the call to be echoed by the rest of the food. He wanted to hear their terror. And they did make noise, but it wasn't scared noise. It made Wolf's fur stand on end and a growl rumbled deep in his chest. He'd heard that noise before, the food made it all the time when it attacked him with magic. It was a mocking sound, a grating sound, a horrible sound.

And then, one of the food, did something truly shocking. It walked right up to Wolf, not a trace of fear or caution in its furless face, made a few strange sounds, and poked Wolf in the nose with one blunt claw.

Wolf stared at it, totally and completely shocked. Where was the terror? Where was the fear? Didn't the food know that it was food?

Wolf probably would've stayed in his state of complete and utter shock for several moments longer, had the food not made the terrible noise.

Snarling, Wolf reared up onto his hind legs and slashed the food across its face with a clawed forepaw. Its high-pitched shriek as blood dribbled steadily from the dark slashes was the best sound Wolf had heard since he'd awoken. There was something… satisfying about it. A strange sense laced it, that the food had gotten what it deserved. But didn't all food deserve this fate? What was different about this one?

Wolf shook these strange thoughts out of his head. They didn't belong there.

He lunged forward and sank his teeth into the food's neck, savouring the last breath of air that whispered through its jaws. He raised his head and howled to the white, smooth sky. And then the world was filled with the noise of food, not the horrible noise this time, but the scared noise. The best noise.

Barking with excitement, Wolf threw himself into the confused stampede of terrified food, biting and slashing at flesh, drinking blood and relishing the crack of bone. He could barely tell one food from another, one's high-pitched screeches of terror from another's halting wails of despair and submission. Some of them tried to bring out the twigs they use to make magic. Wolf took a special kind of pleasure in crushing those irritating bands of wood into splinters with his teeth. Here, surrounded by food, he felt unstoppable! He was-

A familiar burning, stinging sensation froze his train of thought, and he didn't need the to smell the tainted smoke rising from his fur to know what caused it. Magic.

Roaring, Wolf pivoted around to face his attacker. A familiar food with a gaze as black as the shadows of the forest was standing there with its twig, an unbearable smile on its face.

A great, burning hatred rose up inside Wolf, making his lips peel back against his fangs and his fur bristle. This food was different. This food must be killed, more than all the other food shrieking and stampeding. Wolf wanted to tear open its throat, he wanted to rip open its chest and eat its still-beating heart. And Wolf was going to get what he wanted.

Snarling, Wolf lunged forward. The food calmly made a noise, and more dreadful magic sparked out of the twig. But Wolf wasn't going to let that hit him again. He nimbly dodged to the side, and the magic burst harmlessly on the stone floor. The food's eyes narrowed, and it made another sound, and another burst of magic spurted from the twig. And again Wolf dodged. Some part of him knew what the food was going to do. And that part of him was ready.

The food was looking scared now, and it wasn't even bothering to make noises as the twig fired off magic. But Wolf was untouchable, especially after he gripped the irritating twig in his jaws and snapped it. The food stumbled back, its face pale, but Wolf wasn't about to let it get away. His teeth flashed. There was a wail of terror. And then the food's lifeblood was staining the ground.

Wolf stood on his hind legs and howled to the air triumphantly. The food was screaming and wailing all around him, and the chaotic pattern of thuds made by their footsteps as they fought to get away from him formed a sweet melody to his ears.

And then, cutting through even the disorderly noise that bombarded Wolf from all sides, was a single word, soft and quiet with shock and fear. "Wolf?"

Wolf pricked his ears and swung his great head around to find the source of the word. He found himself looking at a food-_a girl_-staring at him. Its fur-_her hair_-was a bright, unnatural shade of red. Her skin was ghost pale, and her brown eyes were huge with fear. For some reason, this made Wolf flinch.

The girl took a step forward. Wolf took a step back.

"Wolf?" she said, "Are you… in there?"

Wolf growled. He wanted her to stop talking (keep talking). He wanted her to stop coming close to him (keep coming close to him). He wanted her to stop looking at him (keep looking at him). He wanted her to go away (stay).

The girl took another step and Wolf growled louder.

"I know you're in there somewhere Wolf." She said, "You would've already killed me if you weren't."

Wolf bristled and bared his fangs, eying the girl warily. She was confusing his mind. His thoughts were all jumbled. He didn't know if he wanted to sink his teeth into her neck or wrap his arms around her and bury his face into her hair. He didn't know if his teeth were supposed to be this big, if he was supposed to have fur, if he was supposed to have a tail.

She was doing this to him. And there was only one way to make her stop.

Roaring, he bounded forward, knocking the girl to the ground. His lunged for her neck, teeth bared, ready to end the torture she was enacting on his mind, when something else jabbed into his neck.

The girl whispered faintly, "Homorphus."

Wolf howled in agony as pain shot up his muscles. The confused thoughts in his brain turned sharp and focused. Yes, his teeth weren't supposed to be this big, yes, he wasn't supposed to have fur, yes, he wasn't supposed to have a tail. His howling contorted into deep, cries of pain used by the f-by the humans. His fur shrank back into his skin.

Wolf could just blearily make out Scarlet, staring at him with wide-eyed terror, before darkness closed around his vision and his body hit the floor.

**A/N: I had so much fun writing this!**

**Please review!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Thorne**

In Thorne's opinion, the worst part about being blind wasn't that you couldn't see, but that all your other senses worked just fine. He could still smell the steam of brewing potions, could hear students giggling in the hallways, could feel the crackle in the air after he cast a spell, could taste the food served at mealtimes, and it all reminded him that there was a whole world around him, a world full of colour and life, and he couldn't see any of it. If he didn't have any of his other senses, being blind might be bearable. For example, he wouldn't have to listen to adults shouting at each other all morning when he was trying to eat his lunch in peace. Honestly, people could be so inconsiderate sometimes.

"How could you let this happen?" One woman shrieked hysterically.

"We weren't prepared for a werewolf attack madame." Came the more patient tones of Professor Torin's voice.

"How could you not be prepared?" The woman shrieked again, "That thing is one of your students! You should have kept it in a cell, if you had to have it here in the first place!"

""That thing" is a young, unlucky boy who only wanted to receive an education."

Thorne snorted. Did Professor Torin really believe that was why Wolf was here?

"Besides Madame," the teacher continued, "we are very careful with our werewolf students, but our security measures are only applied on the full moon, the only time the students are a threat. How could we prepare for a werewolf attack in the middle of the day?"

"Only dangerous at the full moon?" The woman yelled, "It's a werewolf! Those things are dangerous no matter what the moon is like!"

"It has been proven otherwise Madame on several occasions." Torin replied, a slight strain running along his voice.

A derisive snort was the only response.

"That woman seems very angry." A soft voice murmured beside Thorne.

An involuntary smile twitched across his lips at the sound of Cress's voice. Over the weeks she'd been helping him get around the castle without embarrassingly bumping into walls, Thorne had started to find her presence comforting. He always found it easier to relax when Cress was around to be his eyes, even if she had a tendency to get hung up on details like the colour of the grass, and besides Thorne found that rather cute. More than anything, what Thorne wanted to properly see was Cress. He was already forgetting the exact shade of her blue eyes, and the shape of her face. Instead, he had to content himself with the smell of vanilla clinging to her hair, and the sweet, lilting sound of her voice. If he was really lucky, she would start singing. Aces and spades, Thorne loved her singing.

"Who's the banshee screaming her head off?" Scarlet's familiar voice grumbled.

Thorne frowned. He was enjoying just having Cress to himself.

"I think it's Roland's mother." Cress murmured back.

Thorne chuckled. "Makes sense. She's definitely loud enough."

"And rude enough." Scarlet added.

"Well, Wolf did kill her son." Cress reminded her.

"That wasn't Wolf's fault! He's not in control when he's in werewolf form! Besides, what did Roland expect, walking up to a werewolf and poking it on the nose?"  
"To be fair, he did think that it was a prank by Thorne." Cress said.

Scarlet snorted. "Please, Thorne doesn't have the brain capacity for a prank like that."

"That's not true!" Thorne argued, "I have plenty of brain capacity. I just don't use it for school."

"Got that right."

Cress cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well, at least Wolf's not here now, right?" She said with fake optimism, "He can't hear what Roland's mother is saying about him."

"Wolf was locked in Sybil's office as soon as he turned back to normal." Scarlet told her. "I tried to visit him to see how he was doing, but no-one's allowed to see him. Because I guess Wolf turns into a werewolf every hour."

Thorne raised an eyebrow in Scarlet's direction. "You seriously think the school's keeping him holed up for our safety?"

"No, that's just the reason they gave for not letting anyone see him."

"Well, there might be some logic behind that reasoning." Cress said thoughtfully, "After all, who knows what caused him to suddenly transform in the middle of the day."

"I know." Scarlet told her, "I was there."

"Well, we weren't." Thorne reminded her, "Care to enlighten us anytime soon?"

"It was that dumb mission to find the school's stash of moonlight." Scarlet spat, "Wolf and I found it alright, but we couldn't find a way to get to it, so Wolf decided the only solution was to absorb the stuff."

"Wait, he chose to become a slobbering monster?" Thorne asked incredulously.

"He wasn't slobbering!"

"Hey, I call it like I don't see it."

Cress giggled quietly, and Thorne grinned.

"This is a truly devastating loss to our magical youth and families, and I offer my most heartfelt condolences to those parents grieving for their children whose lives were cut off far too early."

Thorne frowned. That voice, that pathetic attempt at sounding poetic, that underlying-but-oh-so-obvious smugness… he knew that voice. But what was_ he_ doing here?

"I can assure you that the Ministry of Magic will be launching a full inquiry as to why and how a werewolf was able to transform in the daytime. Unfortunately, in my current position at the Ministry, I'm unable to personally ensure that this issue is given all the attention it deserves."

Ah, trying to nick Kai's dad's job. Yep, that sounded about right for Kingsley, a.k.a. Thorne's father, a.k.a. a real pain in the butt.

"The Ministry will be taking the werewolf in question into custody, and our resident magizoologists will attempt to figure out what enabled the beast to murder so many young witches and wizards in broad daylight." Thorne's father continued, adding with a mournful sigh. "I can only thank Merlin that my own son, who was present at the attack, was not injured by the monster."

That was about as much as Thorne could take. He suddenly burst into raucous laughter, drowning out whatever comments the assembled parents and teachers might have made to his father's show of parental love. Wiping a pretend tear from his eye, Thorne smirked in the general direction his father's voice had come from. "Oh, you care about me? First I've ever heard of it."

"Carswell." Thorne's grin widened at the strain in his dad's voice. "Shouldn't you be resting after the attack?"

"Why would I need rest? After all, I got away totally unscathed. No scratches and, more importantly, no bites. Bet you're relieved about that, huh?"  
"Of course I am, you're my son, and I want you to stay safe."

"Really? Wow, you learn something new ever day. No, I was referring to how shameful it would be for you to have a monster for a son. But hey! Maybe if I had been your sorry act would be more convincing. You'd actually be upset for one thing. What a hit to your reputation!"

Thorne imagined his father gritting his teeth with the effort of suppressing his rage. "Carswell, don't you have a test to study for?"  
"What, on the holidays?" Thorne laughed, "Of course not! And besides, I'm learning plenty right here. Like you actually care about all those kids that died. Who knew that the man who thinks that young wizards should only be given wands at the age of 30 would grieve so much for the loss of so many irresponsible teenagers?"  
"Son, this is a very important matter we're dealing with here so could you please show some respect-"

"Oh, sorry. "If only I was elected Minister of Magic,"" Thorne wailed theatrically, ""then I could avenge all of your children's' deaths. Alas, I am only the head of Magical Law Enforcement and am currently running for Minister of Magic. Oh, the humanity!""

Scarlet sniggered, but that sound wasn't nearly as gratifying as Thorne's father finally losing all semblance of self-control and shouting, "CARSWELL THORNE IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR THIS INSTANT I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT YOU WILL NEVER GO OUTSIDE YOUR ROOM AGAIN WHEN YOU GO HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!"

Dead silence filled the hall, and Thorne smirked triumphantly. Mission accomplished.

**A/N: I had so much fun writing this up. I'm definitely going to write more interactions between Thorne and his dad in future.**

**Please review!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Wolf**

Wolf stared despondently at his hands. They were completely human now, with not a trace of fur or claw. But the signs were still there. Dried blood crusted on his fingernails, in his hair, staining his teeth and clothes, a grisly souvenir of his rampage. It would be ages before he finally got rid of it all, but at least he could get rid of it. He would never get rid of the memories. Sybil Mira screaming in terror as he sank his fangs into her throat. Roland's howl of pain as Wolf's claws slashed across his face. The shrieks and sobs of students Wolf couldn't name as he tore into their flesh, biting and clawing, leaving permanent marks on the living, and rendering the dead nearly unrecognisable. Jael's pale face as Wolf pounced. The terror in Scarlet's eyes as she looked at him, and finally saw the monster he really was…

Wolf groaned and put his head in his hands. It felt like his soul was shattering from the inside out. There was no way she would smile at him now the way she used to, laugh with him, be kind to him, be his friend. Not after what she'd seen, not after he almost killed… Wolf shuddered, unable to complete the thought.

The door opened noiselessly. Somehow that was even more terrifying that a loud, grating creek.

A tall woman stepped into the room, sneering with disgust as her gaze landed on Wolf.

He narrowed his eyes. Normally, he would dip his head with respect, murmuring a quiet "Hello, Headmistress." if he happened to encounter her. But, somehow, he just couldn't quite bring himself to do it today. How strange.

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself." Levana said coldly, "Thanks to you the Great Hall is now filled to bursting with grieving parents and Ministry Officials demanding to know why a werewolf was able to transform in the middle of the day and attack my students."

Wolf offered no reply.

"Some aurors are coming up here to question you on the events of the attack." Levana continued, "You will tell them that you have a mutated form of werewolfry that can cause you to transform at unconventional times, and that you didn't inform the school because you were afraid you wouldn't be allowed to attend. Understand?"  
"What happens if I don't tell them that?" Wolf asked, a touch of rebellion creeping into his voice.

Levana smiled. "Over the course of your attendance at this school as a regular student, the faculty have been watching you Kesley."  
"You don't say?"  
Levana ignored him. "They couldn't help but notice that you've made yourself a close friend. A half-blood farm girl, what was her name? Scarlet?"

Wolf said nothing, though his heart was pounding in his chest. She wouldn't hurt Scarlet, she couldn't, it would look too suspicious… right?

"I would hate to think that something bad might happen to her." Levana continued sombrely, "But you know, this is a wizard school. So many dangerous things around here. Poisons, the beasts in the Black Woods and cursed library books to name a few." Her lips turned up in a cold smile, "Of course, the staff will do everything in their power to make sure your friend stays nice and safe. But if you refuse to cooperate, their focus might just slip."

Wolf allowed his eyes to narrow in a thin glare. A part of him wished he still had his claws and fangs, his ruthless instincts and eternal hunger, so he could rip the headmistress to pieces right then and there. But he didn't, and he couldn't. So, jaw clenched so tightly he thought his teeth would crack, he nodded.

"A mutated form of werewolfry…" said one of the aurors wondrously as he stared at Wolf, half in amazement and half in fear, "I don't believe it."

Wolf scowled at the floor. If only.

"Well kid, I hope you're proud of yourself." Grumbled another auror, her wand firmly trained on Wolf's face. "Your secrets have cost six kids their lives and afflicted nine others with your condition."

"It is hard enough for a regular werewolf to get into a wizarding school." Wolf told them through gritted teeth, "But a mutated werewolf? I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Well now a whole bunch of other kids don't stand a chance at completing their education because of you." Said the woman unsympathetically, "It was incredibly selfish of you to attend a school when you knew there was a chance you would suddenly transform."

Wolf sighed. "I'd never transformed in the daytime before. If I had known that was a possibility then I never would have come."  
She snorted. "A likely story."

"Do you have any idea what triggers your transformations?" the man asked with a warning glare at his partner.

"They sometimes happen when I'm overly stressed or angry." Wolf repeated the words Levana had drilled into his head, like the parrot he might as well have been at this stage. "One of my classmates had been bullying a friend of mine a lot. That was why I transformed this time."

The woman snorted. "A werewolf has a friend? Don't make me laugh."  
The man sighed. "Bement, please."

She rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Turning back to Wolf, the man tried for a smile. "We'll send a report of your unusual condition to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Maybe they have a record of a case like yours and will be able to give you advice on it. In the meantime, you can stay here at the school."

"At the school?" Wolf asked incredulously, "You're not going to take me to a cell or keep me in some kind of solitary confinement?"  
"Your teachers have assured us that they will take extra precautions to ensure you won't harm any other students in the meantime." The man assured him, "We're sure that no other incidents will occur until we can figure out what to do with you."

Wolf raised a dubious eyebrow. Why did he get the feeling that the reason the aurors were letting him go had more to do with a bag full of galleons than assurances that the school would keep the students safe?

"Well send you an owl when we get the results from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures about your condition." The man told him as he opened the door. "Until then, just enjoy your holidays."

Wolf almost laughed. Enjoy his holidays? He'd just killed several students and two teachers!

He watched the aurors leave the room, keeping his eyes trained on the door even after it had clicked shut. He wasn't sure how the school would keep him here as a regular student, but he was sure they would try. After all, he was their strongest wolf. Of all of the disposable monsters they created, he was the one they were least likely to get rid of, at this stage at least. Normally, the thought of continuing this life of forced transformations and night-time battles would have made Wolf crumble with despair. But not now. Now, something was different. Now, he knew something, something that gave him power. The glamour that Levana uses to hide her true face only works on humans, and with each forced transformation, more and more of Wolf's brain has become animal. So when the headmistress had walked into the office half an hour ago, for the first time, Wolf hadn't seen a beautiful woman.

**A/N: Good news, I'm going to be back to regular updates!**

**Please review!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

When Kai had suggested they have another meeting, Jacin was the one who insisted that they ditch the library. They already had proof that the Dark Section wasn't enough to hide them anymore, and with the school on high alert after Wolf's attack on the students, they just couldn't risk it. He had also insisted on the new location, one that would actually keep them hidden. Unfortunately, the others were in bad moods and didn't appreciate Jacin's help. Ungrateful teenagers.

"Even I know it's a bad idea to have a meeting in the Black Woods." Thorne said, "Have you forgotten that this is the home of the horse-people who want to kill us?"

Jacin glared at him. "Those "horse people" are the reason this is the best place to meet. With a bunch of hostile magical creatures running around, neither the teachers nor the students are likely to come here."

"Smart people." Cinder muttered.

"I didn't see you offering up any suggestions." Jacin said.

"I would've if I'd known we were switching meeting places."

"Fine then. Where do you think is the best meeting place. Go on, we're all ears."

"Why not one of our dorms? We can trick the barriers by wearing different cloaks."

"And what if some passer-by hears us through the door? Or if they're in the next room? The walls aren't soundproof Cinder."

"But at least the rooms don't have magical creatures that want to kill us!"

Kai put his hand on Cinder's shoulder and tried for a smile. "Hey, we're here now, right? We'll just keep this meeting quick, and next time, we'll try Cinder's idea. Sound good?"

Cinder scowled, obviously not happy, but nodded. Reluctantly, Jacin followed suit.

Kai's smile grew a little more natural. "Great. Then let's get this meeting under-way."

"We can't start yet!" Scarlet protested, "Wolf's not here."

"He's always got a teacher tailing him these days." Jacin reminded her, "I'm willing to bet that he's not going to risk exposing us by coming."

Scarlet frowned and muttered under her breath, but offered no argument.

"So, how did everyone go on their little assignments?" Kai asked with forced cheer.

"I think I've prevented the Star Tree from absorbing moonlight." Cress said, "We won't actually know for sure until the next full moon though."

"I'm sure you did it Cress." Thorne grinned down at her.

Cress's cheeks flushed. With pride? Or admiration? Merlin's beard, please don't let it be admiration. If Thorne found out that Cress liked him… well, the last thing the world needed was for Thorne's head to inflate even more.

"What about you, Scarlet?" Kai asked her, "Did you and Wolf find the school's stash?"

Scarlet snorted bitterly. "Yeah, we found it no trouble."

"And did you destroy it?" Jacin asked impatiently.

"If you call Wolf absorbing all the moonlight in the stash causing him to transform and murder a bunch of students destroying it then, yes, we did."

"Wait, that's what caused Wolf to transform in the middle of the day?" Cinder cried, "I just thought the school had gotten a little too cocky with its werewolf magic!"

Scarlet shook her head. "Wolf and I couldn't figure out a way to get to the actual stash. He thought the only way was to absorb the moonlight into himself."

Thorne snorted. "Well that's dumb."

"Oh, and you could have come up with something better?" Scarlet snapped, her brown eyes blazing.

"I would've come up with something that wouldn't have gotten a bunch of people killed! Merlin's beard, I was nearly sent to the grave early because of Wolf!"

"And six students actually were sent to the grave early." Iko said, folding her arms. Her eyes were glowing dark orange. "And nine others are now stuck with monthly transformations into monsters."

"But that's not Wolf's fault!" Scarlet cried, "You know he can't control his actions while in werewolf form!"  
"A form he never would've transformed into if he hadn't absorbed Merlin knows how much moonlight." Jacin reminded her irritably. "He could've at least taken a Wolfsbane potion beforehand, that way he'd be in control."

"You don't know that." Scarlet insisted furiously, "Their might have been too much moonlight in that room for the Wolfsbane to handle and – and how would he explain going down to the potions department to get a Wolfsbane potion when the full moon is still weeks away?"

"He likes getting things done quickly?" Kai suggested, "And I'm pretty sure the Wolfsbane would've worked regardless of how much moonlight there was in there."

"Not necessarily." Cress mused thoughtfully, "The limits of Wolfsbane potion haven't really been tested. Assuming each of those globes on the Star Tree is the equivalent of a night with the full moon, then there could very well have been enough inside the stash to cancel out the effects of Wolfsbane potion. Theoretically I mean, assuming that the potion can be overridden." She added bashfully, upon noticing the other's staring at her.

Iko sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done. At least the school's stash of moonlight is gone, right?"

Jacin scowled at the ground. He doubted that small victory was worth the lives of six students. Seventeen if you counted the two teachers that died and all the students that got infected. No way was that sacrifice worth an empty room of moonlight…. an inexplicably empty room of moonlight that had been full before the infamous daytime werewolf attack.

Jacin cursed and everyone turned to look at him, their gazes confused and surprised.

"How in the name of Merlin are we going to explain all this?" Jacin asked furiously, "The Star Tree suddenly not working, the suddenly empty stash of moonlight? Sooner or later, the teachers are going to figure out what we've done, and then they're going to be hunting for us!"

Winter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Jacin. The school can't know it was us. The walls hate the teachers too much, they would never tell them."

"But they already have a clue as to who did it!" Jacin said frustratedly, "It doesn't take a genius to realise a daytime werewolf attack and a sudden lack of moonlight are connected. And obviously they're also going to suspect that Wolf knew something about the Star Tree sabotage. Thorne, you've been punished the most by the faculty. You know they won't go easy on Wolf when they interrogate him."

Thorne chuckled darkly. "Oh man, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for that guy now."

"Wolf would never give us away!" Scarlet said, "And if the school tries torturing him, we can call the Ministry! We can report them!"

Winter shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Scarlet-friend, but that won't work. My stepmother has connections and bribes all over the Ministry. We'll probably be the ones getting arrested for wasting their time."

"And even if Wolf doesn't give us away," Jacin said, "Aimery will. That smug slime-ball will definitely tell Levana about his suspicions towards us now. She'll recognise the symptoms of a memory wipe, restore his memory, and then we're as good as dead."

"Well then, what can we do?" Cress asked worriedly, "I don't think I can erase his vague suspicions of us with a memory charm."

"We do what we should have done as soon as we found out about this." Jacin said gravely, "We get rid of Aimery, permanently."

**A/N: Raise your hand if want me to kill off Aimery! Okay… now raise your hand if you want me to kill him off in the most painful way possible and let that scumbag get the punishment he deserves for being so evil and manipulative!**

**Please review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

When Cinder had cut a deal with the centaurs, she'd anticipated that it would lead to trouble. What she hadn't anticipated was that it would lead to her having to kill someone, just to keep their operations a secret. The very idea of killing anyone of her own free will just seemed far, far away, something well out of her reach, her sight. It was incomprehensible. And yet, here she was, carrying out step one of Operation Assassinate Aimery Park.

Cinder sighed as she stared down at the Astronomy textbook she'd randomly picked from the hundreds of others gathering dust in the library bookshelves. Around her, students doodled, took notes, and snored quietly on the pages of their books. Normal kids, living normal lives. Cinder wondered what that felt like.

The door to the library swung open and Cinder didn't need to look to know who it was. Only one teacher patrolled the library looking for students to punish during weekends and holidays. And if that wasn't a dead give-away, the way students elbowed each other awake and quickly hid their doodles between the pages of their textbooks was enough. Aimery Park had arrived. Which meant it was time for Cinder to act.

She threw back her head and loudly groaned. "Ugh, I hate Astronomy! I mean, who cares about the stupid constellations and planets? What do they have to do with us?"

Students eyed Cinder as if she were crazy, glancing fearfully at some point near the entrance. But she barrelled on. "The only thing worse than Astronomy is the Astronomy professor!" she moaned, even more loudly, "He's always got this gross, creepy smile on his face. Do you think he knows how ugly it is? How can he stand to look in the mirror every morning?"

The smart clacks of expensive boots on marble grew steadily louder as their owner made his way over to her, and students hurriedly gathered up their things in their haste to get away.

Cinder forced herself to keep going on her suicide tirade. "And what's more, he's not even that smart! He forgets the names of stars and constellations and planets and all of that other stuff all the time. Seriously, what kind of an Astronomy teacher forgets the teachings of their own subject? A really dumb one, that's who!"

"And I suppose your intelligence is equal to Merlin himself, Miss Linh?" A cold voice murmured just behind her.

Cinder stiffened, and slowly turned in her seat to look up into the smug face of Aimery Park. He shook his head, clucking his tongue with disappointment. "You really should know better than to insult a teacher behind their back, Miss Linh. I'm afraid that sort of infraction is inexcusable."

Cinder said nothing, trying to appear terrified and regretful at having been caught (which wasn't hard)

"I do believe a detention is in order." Aimery continued, a certain amount of glee lacing his voice.

Cinder shook her head vehemently, accidentally smacking herself in the face with her own ponytail in the process. "No, no, please Professor Park. I'm sorry! I promise, I've learnt my lesson, I won't do it again."

For the first time since Cinder had met him, Aimery's smile reached his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't take your word for it Miss Linh. I must make an example of you. We can't have children insulting their teachers willy-nilly, can we? Of course not. It is our job to educate clueless young people such as yourself with all the knowledge you will need to get by in the world. And that includes respect."

"But I had detention with Jael on the last week of school!" Cinder complained, "He sent me to the Black Woods to gather dittany! And I hate the Black Woods, especially at night, with all the horrible creatures and poisonous plants. I could've died!"

"But did you learn your lesson, Miss Linh?"

Cinder pretended to hesitate. "Well, now I wouldn't dare put fire drake droppings into anyone's pumpkin juice, so I guess so. But it was horrible! The trees are so creepy in the dark, and the centaurs are so territorial-"

"Then it is an effective detention for you Miss Linh." Aimery said triumphantly, "And you know, we could use a few more leaping toadstools in the Potions department. I believe that a trip to the Black Woods would do wonders for your attitude."

Cinder buried her annoyance under a dramatic groan. He didn't even let her finish her complaints about the forest! She'd worked hard on coming up with all the reasons why it was such a terrible place.

"Just so long as it's not a full moon." Cinder said, feigning a shudder. "Of all the creatures in our world, and even the muggle world, werewolves are definitely the worst. If I see one, I just freeze up. I'd be easy game on a full moon."

A cold gleam entered Aimery's dark eyes, and Cinder knew she had him hooked. There was nothing Aimery liked more than making a student suffer.

"I'll send you a letter with the date of your detention in a few days' time." Aimery told her, "Please don't try to get out of it Miss Linh. You'll only make it worse for yourself if you do."

With those ominous words, Aimery turned on his heel and marched off in search of another student to torture, his blood-red cloak swishing around his legs.

"So how did it go?" Kai asked Cinder as they walked along the edge of the lake.

"I think I have him hooked." Cinder told him, "He's definitely giving me detention in the Black Woods, and I planted the idea that I would hate it if there were werewolves out and about."

"Great. I guess." Kai said awkwardly, "When is your detention?"

"Not sure yet." Cinder said, "He said he'd send me an owl in a few days to tell me."

"Leaving all of us to stew as he decides which is more important, your safety or his amusement." Kai grumbled bitterly.

"Oh, he'll definitely pick his amusement." Cinder assured him, "I don't think Aimery has ever spared a thought to the safety of others in his life."

Kai chuckled. "Yeah, fair point. So, we're calling phase one a success?"

Cinder nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Kai sighed. "I'm not sure whether to feel pleased or disappointed."  
"Me neither." Cinder admitted, "I know that we don't really have much of a choice and that its necessary and all that, but still, it doesn't seem right."

"I'm just trying to think about what a horrible person Aimery is to make me feel a bit better about all this." Kai said.

"How's that working out for you?"  
"Not very well. My brain just keeps screaming at me, "Killing people is wrong!"."

Cinder chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, mine too."

Kai smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad to be reluctantly killing evil people with you."

Cinder leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Me too."

**A/N: Just something to tell you guys that I haven't forgotten about Kaider. Can you guess what the crew's plan is to kill off Aimery? **

**Please review!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

Jacin watched Cinder impatiently as she brushed aside the vines of the Star Tree, the golden globes nestled between the leaves winking cheerfully.

"Well?" He asked.

"Aimery just sent me the letter." Cinder said, "Black Woods, nearest full moon."

Jacin nodded. "Good. That gives me about a week to research werewolves and try to figure out a way to make them go for him instead of us."  
Cinder snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that. Everyone hates werewolves, remember? And the werewolves themselves don't like talking about what it's like being werewolves."

"Some researcher might have found it, or maybe there's something in _Hairy Snout, Human Heart_. That's basically the ultimate guide to werewolf personality and trauma."

Cinder shrugged. "Well, I wish you luck, but I doubt you're going to find anything."  
_So do I, _Jacin thought.

Two books and half of a third later, Jacin was just about ready to fall asleep. Or throw one of these accursed books out the window, that would definitely make him feel better. None of these books told Jacin the information that he really wanted to know. He knew about the monthly transformations, he knew about the ways werewolves differed from normal wolves, he knew that their preferred prey is human, but what kind of humans do they prefer? Fat humans? Big humans? Male humans? Female humans? Stupid evil smug humans? But of course nothing about this sort of thing was in these books, because the only way to find out that stuff would be to ask an actual werewolf that has encountered people in their wolf form. And no-one wants to do that. After all, werewolves are well known for being savage murderous creatures. Only a fool would go out of their way to actually interview one. Or someone really desperate who happened to know a werewolf who wasn't insane and really just sad. Jacin fell into the latter.

He knocked on the door to Wolf's room and got no answer, not that that meant much with Wolf. Jacin pulled out his wand and tapped it on the keyhole, "_Alohomora._"

There was a click and the door obligingly swung open. Sure enough, Wolf was inside, hunched over a book at his desk.

Without looking up, Wolf called, "Can you please stop breaking into my room?"

"Can you please answer when I knock?" Jacin retorted, "And don't jinx me just because I won't leave you to wallow in your own misery. Have you left your room at all since you attacked everyone?"  
Finally Wolf turned to face him. His normally bright green eyes were bloodshot, and heavy bags hung under his eyes.

"Not been sleeping well?" Jacin guessed.

Wolf shrugged. "Nightmares." He said simply, "And, yes, I did leave my room, to try to go to breakfast. A student set my shoes on fire, screaming that I'm a monster."  
"Nobody ever said the students here are friendly."

"When it comes to my kind, the whole world's unfriendly."

"Can't argue with that." Jacin conceded, "So if you're not leaving your room at all, what are you eating? You're usually a huge glutton. No offence." He added as an afterthought.

Wolf gestured to the floor, where several tiles were missing. "I've been transfiguring stuff in my room to food. It doesn't usually taste very good, but it keeps me going."

"Well, when you're isolating yourself I guess you don't have much of a choice."

Wolf scrutinised Jacin carefully. "Why do I get the feeling you aren't here to check on my well-being?"  
"Wow, you must have learned legilimency."

Wolf sighed. "Just tell me what you want Jacin."

"I need to ask you a few questions about what it's like when you're in werewolf form." Jacin said, "Specifically when you're hunting humans."

"Why in the name of Merlin would you want to know that?" Wolf asked incredulously. "It's not useful, and it's not exactly something anyone wants to talk or hear about."  
"Not unless they're trying to figure out a way to make werewolves pick one human over another." Jacin replied.

Wolf shuddered and inched away from Jacin slightly. "Do I want to ask?"  
"Probably not. You tend to get squeamish when people talk about werewolves killing people."

Wolf sighed. "Fine. So, you want to know what would make a werewolf pick one human over another?"  
"Yes, that is what I said thirty seconds ago."

Wolf shrugged helplessly. "Well, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. When I transform, I don't really distinguish humans from each other at all. I just think of them all as food. If there's more than one, then I just try taking a bite out of one and then immediately try taking a bite out of the other. There's no real thought process to it."

Jacin frowned. This wasn't good. He couldn't just leave it up to chance like this. He needed a way to make the werewolves target Aimery over any other people who happened to be around him. If there wasn't a way of doing that, then the whole plan was a huge bust.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Jacin prompted, "There isn't anything that makes one human preferable over another to you when you're a monster? Anything at all?"  
Wolf raised an eyebrow. "I'm really not liking where this conversation's going."  
"You don't have to like it you just have to answer me."  
"Why do you want to know any of this stuff anyway? It's not like it's going to be on a test."  
"I already told you, you don't want to know."  
"I'm asking anyway. Why do you want to know this?"

Jacin sighed. "Merlin's beard, you already know that answer. Why bother asking me?"  
"I want to make sure."  
"Fine, we're planning to kill someone. Happy?" Jacin snapped.

Wolf's eyes darkened. "Not in the slightest. And there's no way I'm getting involved in a murder."  
"You've just been involved in six murders!"  
"Which is exactly why I don't want to get involved in a seventh!" Wolf shouted, standing up to his full height. "You think I want to see another bloodied face in my mind, screaming at me that it's my fault that they're dead, that their blood is on my hands?"  
"We haven't got much of a choice here Wolf!" Jacin retorted, "If we don't take him out, he'll take out the rest of us, including you."  
"You think I care whether I live or die?" Wolf asked furiously, "My life's been nothing but a downhill track of misery since I was twelve!"

"Just because you're suicidal doesn't mean the rest of us aren't." Jacin snapped, "If you want to die, fine. Go Avada Kedavra yourself or something, but that's not an excuse to lie down and let the rest of us go to an early grave. And for that to happen, we need to take this guy out, permanently."

"Isn't there any other way?" Wolf asked desperately, "I don't know if you realise this Jacin, but murder is huge. What about a Memory charm?"  
"Won't work. We have to kill him."  
Wolf groaned and rubbed his face, clearly still reluctant.

Jacin sighed inwardly. He was getting nowhere. The guy has been the cause of too many deaths, he can't handle being the cause of another. If Jacin was going to convince him to give him the information he needed, he was going to need to take some drastic, and probably unforgivable, measures. But he had no choice. It was Wolf's moral values, or his life.

"I heard that you nearly killed Scarlet during your rampage." Jacin said.

Wolf flinched. Jacin had him now.

"She's fine now but," he spread his hands, "if we don't go through with this, that won't last for much longer."

Wolf's fists clenched and unclenched. Jacin knew he'd forced him into an impossible situation, where any decision he made would result in the loss of a life, something Wolf definitely didn't want to do if he could help it. But Jacin knew what he would choose. It was written all over his face. So he wasn't surprised when Wolf sighed and turned back to him, his eyes somehow more exhausted than they were before.

"Alright Jacin," He muttered, "you win."

**A/N: Well, that turned out a lot more emotional than planned. **

**Please review!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder shivered in the cool night air. The full moon beamed down at her menacingly, like a warning light for what creatures it brings. Its light seemed to taint even the ever-perfect grounds of Artemisia, except for the grasses around the Star Tree, which were bathed in a warm golden glow. Cress had done her job well. Cinder just hoped she could manage to do hers.

It was the last phase in Operation Assassinate Aimery, and what Cinder had to do was simple: lead Aimery deep enough into the forest that the werewolves would notice him, make him laugh because (for some bizarre reason) Jacin thought that would make him a more preferable target for the werewolves than her, and don't die. That last part was probably going to be the hardest part for Cinder. Who knew how many werewolves would be running through the trees tonight? And Aimery was only one human. She was pretty sure the werewolves who didn't get a bite of the teacher wouldn't just whine in disappointment and leave the other human morsel to go about her business. But when Cinder had brought this up to Jacin, he'd said: "Some of us will hide in the forest to help protect you. You'll be fine."

Well, she hoped the werewolves appreciated the fact that they were basically giving them an all-you-can-eat human buffet.

The soft rustle of grass pulled Cinder out of her bleak thoughts, and then immediately shoved her back into them again. What could she say? The sight of Aimery Park strolling towards her with his signature smug smile didn't exactly inspire happiness.

She feigned a fearful shiver and glanced at the forest, hoping that he would think her wide-eyed expression was fear, and not her trying to impersonate a startled owl.

"Can't I do the detention tomorrow night?" Cinder moaned, "What if there are werewolves in the forest? I don't want to die!"  
"You are being overdramatic Miss Linh." Aimery said calmly, "There is only one werewolf in the school and he is being properly contained. You are perfectly safe."

"But what if he gets out?" Cinder wailed, "What if he escapes and bites me while I'm picking leaping toadstools? What if I get turned into a werewolf? My life will be ruined!"

"I will be with you the whole time Miss Linh." Aimery assured her, "I promise, you will emerge from the forest unscathed under my care."  
Cinder had to bite back a snort.

In the Black Woods, Cinder made sure to act as terrified as possible. She jumped at small noises, she shuffled towards shadows, she shook like a leaf in a hurricane, and waved her wand around like a maniac. Occasionally, she would crouch in the shadows of a tree, curl into a little ball, rock back and forth, and lament on her misfortune. Aimery took a special kind of pleasure in making her get up and get back to work, usually by musing aloud how bowtruckles would gouge out the eyes of people who they thought were threatening their trees. Cinder was sure she was going to have nightmares about that for the rest of her life, assuming she survived this night at all.

Finally, there came what Cinder had been waiting for. A large sound. Maybe it was her friends carrying out their part of the plan, maybe it was some large monster traipsing through the woods on a midnight stroll. But it was what she needed.

As soon as the crash rang through the night air, she shrieked and ran off, pushing aside low-hanging branches and stumbling over roots in her haste to get deeper into the forest. As Cinder ran, she tentatively reached out with her gift, feeling for Aimery's mind, and gave him a bit of a nudge to reluctantly chase after her. She tried to ignore the icy ball of guilt settling in her stomach. For Merlin's sake, this was Aimery! If anyone deserved to have their mind controlled it was him. And she was going to be a murderer by tomorrow anyway, why not add mind-manipulator to that list? Still, Cinder couldn't seem to shake her nausea as Aimery jogged after her, unwittingly heading towards his death.

Eventually, Cinder found a clearing which, judging from the dried blood on the grass and claw marks on the trees, was a popular hang-out for werewolves. So she collapsed to her knees, panting for breath, feigning exhaustion.

Aimery walked up to her, a slight frown tugging at his features. "Well, I hope you're pleased with yourself Miss Linh. We must be near the centre of the Black Woods now. I expect you already know that all the worst creatures that inhabit this forest live around here?"  
Cinder forced myself to whimper and curl up into a shivering ball. She reached out with my gift again, pulling on Aimery's thoughts. _You find this funny, you find this so, so pathetic and funny._

The teacher started chuckling, quiet and muffled at first, but it soon grew loud and cruel, his slippery voice filling the woods with his cruelty. Cinder scampered away, trying to look hurt and bewildered at this sudden burst of hysterical laughter. There was a mad light in Aimery's eyes as he looked at her.

"How ridiculously cowardly can you be?" He gasped, "I have known first years who would sneak this far into the woods and run around, yelling for the monsters. They never lasted long of course." he added, his mirth growing without Cinder's help, "But you… you're shrieking and jumping is probably going to get you killed even faster than those idiot children!"

Cinder turned away so he couldn't see her lip curling with disgust. She was feeling much better about this whole killing thing now, she had to admit.

A low growl snapped her attention away from the hysterical man to where a pair of malicious yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows of the trees. Soon they were joined by another pair, and another, and another, till Cinder felt she was surrounded by the evil glowing golden lights. And they were all fixed on Aimery. Looks like Jacin was right about the laughter-thing.

As the first hairy clawed paw stepped into the moonlight, Cinder tried to scoot away as subtly as possible, trying to ignore the short snouts filled with giant sharp teeth, or the gleam of dagger-like claws in the moonlight. One of the wolves let loose a particularly loud growl, and Aimery finally noticed the malicious beasts slowly closing in around him. Cinder frantically grasped for his mind, trying to force him to stay still, but Aimery was quicker. He whipped out his wand and pointed it at Cinder, yelling, "_Petrificus Totalus._"

Instantly, Cinder's arms snapped to her sides, her legs practically glued themselves together and her lips firmly closed. All she could do was watch as Aimery ran off into the woods, and the werewolves focused on easier prey.

**A/N: Sorry guys! Gotta keep ya interested in this story somehow!**

**Please review!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Winter**

Winter's heart thundered in her ears, drowning out any sounds that used to exist, assuming they ever existed at all. She wondered if the others could hear the loud drumbeats, and why the wolves hadn't switched their attention from the stiff, still body lying before them to Winter, with all the noise her heart was making. But they're ears didn't so much as twitch as they slowly advanced on their prey, their jaws open and panting with excitement.

Winter tried to block out the noise of her own heart as she fumbled for her wand, trying to recall an incantation, any incantation, to help Cinder, and keep her blood from flooding the already dead forest. But her thoughts couldn't scream at her loud enough with the deafening pounds reverberating through her skull. A wail of frustration tore through her throat and a jet of silver sparks shot from the tip of her wand with a crack like lightning. The werewolves froze, their wild eyes staring at the beam arcing above their heads with something akin to fear. But it didn't hit them. It didn't even singe their fur. It just sparked in the air, reaching outward until it blasted into a nearby tree, leaving nothing but scorched bark to show of its existence.

The wolves stared at the darkened spot of wood for a moment, as if expecting more magic to come from the soot. In a mad panic, Winter shakily pointed her wand at Cinder's prone body. The tingling of magic from the wood seem to muffle the loud, frantic music of her heart and an incantation popped to life in her mind. _Reparifors._

Instantly, Cinder's rigid form relaxed, with her arms and legs becoming unstuck. Winter watched as her friend hurriedly scrambled to her feet and dashed off into the trees, the wolves barking and howling with anger and disappointment at their lost prey.

Winter risked a quick sigh of relief and stepped back, as quietly as she could to avoid being noticed by the savage monsters before her, but they were already turning in her direction, their eyes brimming with an almost human hatred.

Winter's chest locked down, refusing to let any air in or out as the wolves slowly padded towards Winter's hiding spot, sniffing the air and twitching their ears.

Her lungs aching from the lack of air, she took another step back and, as one, the wolves pricked their ears at the unmistakable rustle of leaves.

With a noiseless shriek of fear, Winter turned on her heel and tore through the trees, trying to ignore the excited baying of the animals at her heels and the screams of her lungs as they begged for air, air that her chest refused to let in.

Tears flowed from her eyes as her throat attempted to sob without oxygen, resulting in a hacking, clicking noise. Her feet flew over the ground, ignoring the roots and sharp rocks that attempted to slow her progress as her fear made them numb. Or maybe that was just the lack of oxygen. Winter had no idea at this point.

She was so focused on keeping those hateful barks and howls behind her, and distracted by the pain in her chest, that she didn't notice the familiar red robes until she ran into them.

The jolt of running into a solid object finally managed to open up her chest, allowing the sweet, cool night air to rush in to fill her crying lungs, though the sight of the arrogant smile above her was nearly enough to make Winter's chest lock up all over again.

"Why Miss Hayle." Aimery practically purred, "Fancy seeing you out here tonight."

Winter frantically tried to run away, considering going back to the wolves in order to get away from this far worse threat, when Aimery suddenly grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip. "Ah, ah, ah." He said mockingly, "You can't leave yet. It is forbidden for students to be wandering around at night. Care to tell me what you're doing out and about?"  
Winter didn't answer, instead desperately trying to tug her arm to freedom as the mad barking of the wolves grew closer.

Aimery looked up at the noise, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. "It seems you've attracted the wrong kind of attention."

He waved his wand and a semi-transparent wall the colour of blood materialised around them. As the wolves finally came into view, they stopped short of the magical barrier, and instead paced around it, their snouts wrinkled with hatred as they looked at the two humans inside.

Aimery sighed dramatically. "I wish I could say that will hold them forever but unfortunately it'll grow weaker with every minute that passes. I'd say we have about ten, maybe fifteen before those beasts can attack us. Of course, I will try to protect you my dear," Aimery assured Winter with a grin that made invisible bugs crawl on her skin, "but I might accidentally nudge you just a little too close to one of them. It would be such a shame for such a gorgeous face to be torn apart." As he spoke, Aimery gently stroked Winter's cheek. Panting with fear, she tried to pull out of his hated reach, but that only made him switch to caressing her neck.

He sighed. "If I were motivated in the right way, I'm sure I could keep you safe and dispatch those vicious monsters for you. What do you say, Miss Hayle?"  
Swallowing, Winter dared to look him in the eye as she told him, "I believe the most vicious monster in these woods, is the one holding me right now. Compared to you, these wolves are just like puppies. I would prefer to be killed by them, than to be protected by you."

It was amazing what a sneer could do to a person's face. Aimery, though Winter hated to admit it, was quite handsome. It was one of the reasons he was in Levana's inner circle. But as his arrogant, charming grin turned into a disgusted sneer, Winter thought she had never seen something so hideous in her entire life.

"I will give you a moment to rethink your answer." He hissed in her ear as his grip grew painfully tight around her arm. "Clearly you were having one of your… episodes and weren't thinking clearly, weren't you?"  
Winter cocked her head to one side, feigning thinking, before shaking her head and saying brightly, "No, I don't think I was. Would you throw me to the werewolves now, please? I think your blood-wall is growing weak."

The barrier did look like it was running out of power, its vibrant red colour fast fading away. Some of the wolves risked touching the wall with a paw, only to yelp in pain and jump back, the paw smoking slightly.

Aimery snarled in Winter's ear. "Then be my guest." And shoved her towards the hungry animals.

**A/N: Sorry, I have a bad habit of leaving off chapters with characters about to die, I know. Just hang in there until next week! Winter will be okay until then (hopefully)**

**Please review!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Winter**

Winter stumbled over her own feet, falling just short of the failing red barrier. The wolves closest to her immediately leapt into a frenzy, pouncing at the barrier in an attempt to tear her apart and reduce her to meat, marrow and bone. All their attempts to break through the wall failed as they fell back, howling in pain with smoke rising from their fur. But the hunger never faded from their wild eyes as they stared at Winter through the faint red light. Winter met their gazes impassively. She made no attempt to move away from the barrier. Why should she? She'd chosen this, hadn't she? Didn't she say that she would rather be torn apart by the bloodthirsty creatures mere feet away from her than live in company of the man waiting patiently for the barrier to fail? Now, she had to honour that decision.

"Winter, what the heck are you doing?"

Startled, Winter looked around for the source of the angry words. The wolves looked too, and immediately bounded towards the tree and began clumsily climbing it to reach the blond-haired teenage boy sitting on one of the lower branches, just above where Aimery's barrier reached.

Jacin cast an annoyed glare at the animals before carefully standing on his branch. Winter watched, hardly daring to breathe for fear he will fall as he slowly inched his way across. Finally, he jumped off the branch, over the barrier, and landed heavily beside Winter before gently but firmly pulling her to her feet.

"What were you thinking, lying there like that?" Jacin scolded her, his blue eyes flashing with disapproval. "That wall's not going to hold out for much longer. Do you want to get eaten alive by a pack of werewolves?"

Winter didn't reply, she didn't even look him in the face. She just let herself be held in his arms, her head resting against his chest, eyes closed. The furious baying of the wolves faded away to a whisper, and the force of Aimery's cold gaze became nothing more than a gentle breeze. All of it faded away, the danger, the fear, the pain, all of it became nothing more than the slightest hints of what they used to be. For the first time that night, Winter actually felt safe.

"Well, I suppose I should've guessed that the lady's shadow would arrive." A voice, arrogant and menacing as a snake's hiss, shattered the walls Winter had only just taken refuge behind. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at Aimery as he stalked forward, his cloak rustling with his movements like crimson flames. Winter wondered why they weren't burning him.

Jacin let go of Winter and moved in front of her, nearly blocking her view of Aimery, and drew his wand. Aimery's only response was a cold, mocking laugh. "And just what do you think you're going to do with that? Freeze me? Knock me out? Set my cloak on fire?"  
"It's already on fire." Winter murmured.

Aimery rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you think you could win a fight against me, if you think that broken creature is worth saving."

"That's funny, I seem to recall you trying over and over again to get her into your bed." Jacin snarled back, never taking his eyes of the man in front of him.

Aimery shrugged, completely unfazed. "You can't deny that she is very beautiful, despite the undeniably hideous state of her mind."  
"Her mind's a lot prettier than yours." Jacin told him, "I can only imagine what horrors float around that giant skull of yours every second. It must be like a sewer in there."  
Aimery's smile hardened and his eyes flashed with contained rage. "Mock all you like, Clay, but it won't change the fact that the odds are heavily in my favour. Let's see who I'm up against: a teenage boy who calls himself a Lunar despite not even being able to manipulate a muggle toddler, and a girl with a steadily breaking mind with a habit of crying about blood." He chuckled to himself, "Yes, I'm truly terrified."

"You forgot about all the werewolves." Jacin reminded him.

Aimery cast a disinterested glance at the crowd of animals outside the red barrier. "Oh, they'll be easily dealt with. Really, they are only a threat to you. Assuming you live long enough for them to actually reach you."

Suddenly, Jacin turned around, pointing his wand so that it was aiming squarely at Winter.

"Jacin?" she whispered, forcing herself not to look at the wooden rod.

Jacin's blue eyes were wide with shock, and he kept looking at his wand, then at Winter, then back to his wand, as if trying to comprehend why it would be pointing in her direction.

He was scared. The realization hit Winter like a troll's club, knocking all the breath out of her. Jacin was never scared, never. It was impossible for him to be scared. Yet the panicky light in his eyes was unmistakeable as he continued to look between his wand and Winter.

Aimery laughed, a cruel, grating sound. "Did you honestly think you stood a chance against me? Me, one of the most powerful Lunars alive? I don't even need a wand to end you both. I can make you set your precious lady's hair on fire, have you reopen those scars on her face, or even add new ones to match on the other side of her face."

Jacin's wand gently stroked Winter's unblemished cheek, while its owner scowled and grit his teeth, clearly trying desperately to fight against what Aimery was forcing him to do. But it was not use. Aimery was too strong, and Jacin's mind too weak. He couldn't fight it, not matter how much he tried.

Aimery smiled, obviously knowing the same thing. "But we can't leave our little princess out now, can we? What shall I make her do? I can have her stab her fingers into your eyes, I can make her break your neck, or I can make her wrap those pretty little hands of hers around your throat and strangle you to death." 

Winter watched, her skin growing cold with horror as her hands slowly rose up of their own accord.

"I rather like that idea." Aimery said.

Tears ran down her cheeks as her hands slowly made their way to Jacin's neck, her fingers already twitching in their eagerness to cut of his breath. She felt his skin brush against her palms and a sob tore from her throat.

Jacin didn't move to stop her as her fingers tightened around his neck. Maybe Aimery wasn't letting him. Maybe he was afraid of hurting her. Either way, he didn't do anything to defend himself as his breaths, once steady and even, turned into choked gasps as his lungs fought for air.

Winter wept, a feeble wail escaping her lips with every gasp Jacin made as he struggled to breathe. And all the while she could feel Aimery's cruel smile like a sharp spike made of ice, stabbing into her flesh, her heart, her very soul as Jacin's face slowly turned blue.

The barrier Aimery had put up finally gave way, and the werewolves surged forward. Aimery looked at them unconcernedly and reached for his wand. But his hand stopped before he could even touch it. He frowned in confusion, staring at the rebellious hand. Only now, it wasn't just his hand that was rebelling.

His feet suddenly broke into a clumsy yet fast run heading straight for the werewolves. A cry of pure terror escaped his mouth as he ran for them, and they bounded toward him as well. Taking a flying leap, he jumped on the wolves, and could only lie still, his screams of agony and pain tearing through the cool night air as the beasts greedily tore him apart.

Finally, Winter's hands fell away from Jacin's neck and she fell to her knees, unable to tear her eyes away as Aimery's blood splattered all over the trees. It seeped out from the soil and dripped from the branches. Winter could feel it lapping at her hands and weighing down her clothes.

A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, and a voice spoke, but she was too far away, much too far away to hear them.

**A/N: Finally, Aimery's dead!**

**Please review!**


	51. Chapter 51

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Jacin**

Winter's chest rose and fell slowly, her face more peaceful than Jacin had seen it in years. Straps wrapped around her torso, keeping her pressed tightly to the bed. Jacin hated them. He knew how they must be digging into her skin, and that they would definitely leave sore marks later, but they were necessary. She'd already woken up a few times, thrashing and wailing, fighting against monsters no-one else could see. The restraints didn't remove the monsters, but they did stop the thrashing. Jacin wasn't completely sure if that was a good thing, since now whenever Winter woke up, she couldn't defend herself against the nightmarish figments of her own imagination. Nightmarish figments that shouldn't even be happening anymore, certainly not even more than they used to. The main reason for Winter's insanity was she wasn't using her gift, right? Well, she'd used her gift. She'd used it on Aimery. She should be feeling better. The nurse had said that that Lunar gift was less of a power than a muscle, and it needed to be exercised in order to stay strong, else it will grow weak and useless. And if you attempt something beyond the strength of your muscle, then you will always end up hurting yourself. Which was exactly what happened to Winter.

The door swung open with a quiet swish of air. Jacin lifted his gaze from the sleeping girl in front of him to the newcomer and narrowed his eyes in an icy glare at the sight of a familiarly (and infuriatingly) perfect face.

"Mister Clay." Levana greeted with a tiny nod of her head, "I thought I'd find you here."  
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. He was in no mood to be polite to the headmistress now.

Levana raised an eyebrow, her blood-red lips curling into a slight smile. "Can't I be here to see my dear stepdaughter?"  
"The last time you were in a room alone with her, you scarred her face." Jacin snapped back, "Whatever your reason for being here, I highly doubt it's out of worry for Winter's well-being."

"Clearly you don't know me as well as you think." She said, taking a step forward. Jacin hurriedly shot to his feet and positioned himself so he was standing between her and her stepmother. He knew it wouldn't do much good if Levana did want to hurt Winter, but it was the best he could manage.

"I made a promise to her father before he died." Levana said calmly, "I promised I would take care of her, that I would keep her a safe as was in my power to do."  
Jacin snorted. "Fine job you did at that. I'm sure Evret is lying peacefully in his grave, safe in the knowledge that nothing could ever happen to his daughter under your watch. Yep, definitely."  
Levana's onyx gaze hardened, and her pale hands clenched into fists at her sides, the closest Jacin has ever seen her to losing her composure. "I have kept my promise to my husband. Winter is safe. She has a life that most girls her age can only dream of: a fleet of servants tending to her every need, food produced by some of the wizarding world's finest chefs for every meal and luxurious dresses for all occasions made by the best designers and seamstresses."  
"And nightmares hiding around every corner, a teacher who wants to rape her, and a downright murderous guardian." Jacin countered. "Oh yeah, you've done a great job at keeping Winter safe."

"I'm not the one who brought her into the Black Woods in the middle of the night on a full moon."

Jacin couldn't suppress a flinch at that and Levana's mouth quirked into a smirk, now that she had regained the power. "Honestly Mister Clay, I would think that you would know better. Thankfully Aimery was there in case she should run into any trouble. He is a very capable wizard, he can quite easily fend off a pack of werewolves by himself. Or at least, he could."  
"Could?" Jacin echoed, trying his best to look confused, and to not think about the ecstatic cries of the wolves as they tore off chunks of the teacher's flesh.

Levana nodded. "Yes, on the very night you and Winter were out on your little adventure, it seems that Professor Park was killed by the werewolves roaming the forest that night. Isn't that strange? A wizard as powerful as he, overwhelmed by some mindless beasts?"  
Jacin shrugged. The movement felt sharp and jaunty. "Guess he wasn't as powerful as he made out."  
Levana raised an eyebrow. "You know, another one of your friends was out in the Black Woods last night." She remarked, "A young Mudblood. What was her name again? Ashes? Soot?"  
"If you think I know why Cinder was out at night, then you're very much mistaken." Jacin said, though his heart was pounding in his ears. She couldn't have figured it out. Merlin's beard, the whole reason for orchestrating Aimery's death was so she wouldn't figure it out.

"She was out on detention with Aimery." Levana told him, "He caught her badmouthing him in the library and, upon learning of her deathly fear of the Black Woods and werewolves, had her venture in at the full moon to fetch some leaping toadstools. Students who were in the library at the time of her transgression reported that she practically begged Professor Park not to send her to the Black Woods, and especially not on the full moon."

"Then he should have listened to her and chosen something like cleaning out the trophy room."  
"Aimery only sought to properly discipline a wayward student. Even so, strange, is it not? That she would go so out of her way in telling him of her fear of the Black Woods and werewolves?"  
Jacin resisted the urge to rub his rapidly sweating palms on his pants. "Well, we did just have a werewolf attack and the centaurs are still a bit riled-"

Levana ignored him. "And that's not even the last of the curiosities of last night either. You know of the Star Tree of course. In the full moon, those lovely little lights in its leaves turn silver. It's quite pretty, really, only last night, they stayed their usual gold. Why do you think that is?"  
"Why are you asking me?" Why did Jacin have to be the one to deal with this? Other than hiding his emotions, he was a rubbish actor! Why couldn't it be Iko getting interrogated? She actually liked this kind of thing.

"I should think that you already knew that, Mister Clay." Levana said with a cold smile. "I'm asking because I believe you know the answer."  
"Well then you believed wrong." Jacin said firmly, why carefully trying to reach for his wand tucked into his pants pocket.

"Ah, ah, ah." Levana said mockingly, before pulling out her own wand and pointing it squarely at him. "We can't have you casting spells on your headmistress, can we?"

A bolt of red light shot out of the wand-tip, hitting Jacin square in the chest before he could even blink. He fell back, his spine slamming painfully against Winter's bed as he did so. His muscles were suddenly made of jelly as he crumpled to the ground. A fog was fast settling over his thoughts. He saw Levana, smirking down at him with those perfect red lips, before his eyelids grew too heavy to remain aloft, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

**A/N: You thought you'd get a break after all that business with murdering Aimery didn't you? HA! Not a chance.**

**Please review!**


	52. Chapter 52

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Iko**

Iko watched glumly as the shimmering, colourful bubbles blew out of her wand-tip in a steady stream, rising up into the crystal blue sky in a pretty rainbow. Under normal circumstances, she'd be squealing with delight and jumping up to pop the bubbles, giggling as they exploded into colourful sparks. But for once she wasn't in the mood. She wanted to be in the mood. Merlin's beard, the main reason she was practicing this stupid spell was to get herself in the mood. But, for some reason, her tried and true method of raising her own spirits wasn't working when she really needed it to.

She groaned and rested her wand on the grass beside her, ending the spell. Honestly, what did she expect? That a pretty charm would honestly be enough to lift the fog of gloom and guilt that had been laying heavy on her mind since last night? She told herself that she was being ridiculous. For Merlin's sake she hadn't even been the one who killed Aimery! That was all on the werewolves. She hadn't come up with the plan either, she could thank Jacin for that. She wasn't even anywhere near him when he died! And come on, if anyone deserved death-by-savage-werewolf-pack, it was Aimery Park. So why did she still feel guilty?

"Practicing your Charms now?"

Iko groaned at the familiar snarky voice as Kinney made his way towards her.

"Should I be concerned that the famously irresponsible Iko Violets suddenly has an interest in doing well at school?" he asked sarcastically.

Normally, Iko would retort with a snappy comeback and they'd go back and forth in a ping-pong game of insults for the next hour. But, as has already been established, Iko wasn't feeling up to her normal antics.

"Just leave me alone Kinney." She sighed, standing and walking down towards the lake.

Kinney jogged up beside her, his eyes narrowed with… worry? The thought almost made Iko laugh. "Uh, I was kidding before but now I'm seriously asking if you're alright."  
"Of course I'm alright. Feel free to leave now."  
"Well, you're acting very strange for an alright person."  
"I just don't have the energy to deal with you right now."  
"If anything, that's more proof that you're not okay."  
Iko glared at him. "Why do you care? You hate me, remember?"  
"Despise is more like it." Kinney corrected.

"Whatever, you don't like me. Why worry so much about my wellbeing?"

"I'm not worried, I'm just curious as to what could make you act so quiet and gloomy." Kinney said, "That way I can recreate that situation, and we'll finally have some peace and quiet around here."  
Iko raised an eyebrow at him. "I think you need to work on your persuasion skills because no-way am I telling you why I'm down now."

"So you finally admit that you're feeling down!"

"But still not going to give you the reason."

"Does it have something to do with why the teachers have sent some of the students to find you?" Kinney guessed.

Iko stopped in her tracks and stared at him, a slight tingle going over her eyes as they changed colour (because apparently her eyeballs didn't get the message that they are supposed to stay one colour). "What?"

"One of the teachers pulled a couple of students aside and asked them to look for you. Gave a description and everything." Kinney told her, "I didn't recognise the kids themselves though. They were just some of Jael's charity cases."

It took every ounce of acting skill Iko had to keep her face blank with confusion. And that's saying something, because she had a lot of skills with acting. Jael's charity cases were just the school's way of bringing in werewolves, and if a teacher was asking those students specifically to look for her, that meant it probably wasn't because of the enchanted spit balls she sent after Professor Gertman last week. But there's no way she could tell Kinney that. The guy was in serious competition with Kai for "World's Biggest Teacher's Pet". If he found out that Iko had been helping with a plan to wrest control from the headmistress, he'd almost certainly report her and her friends, and that wouldn't do any good for her current situation.

"Hey, I just remembered, I left my Charms book in my dorm room." Iko said with a grin she hoped didn't look too wide and fake, "Better go grab it."

Kinney raised an eyebrow. "You've never cared about forgetting your textbooks before. If anything you forget them on purpose."

"Well, you know, we've got N.E. coming up and all that stuff. I mean, we're already in the winter holidays! Not too far now 'till we reach those exams. I gotta be at the top of my game or my mom's going to kill me."

"The exams aren't for months yet Iko." Kinney told her, but she was already running across the grass and to the castle.

Once she was sure he couldn't see her anymore, she darted into the shadows of one of the archways. She quickly scanned her surroundings, checking for any onlookers, student or teacher. And found none. Not that she was surprised, after Wolf's rampage not many students ever left the comforts of their rooms. Still, it pays to be sure. Now, she won't have to worry about people seeing her when she used her, ah, _gift_.

Her skin tingled as a ripple grew across it, leaving a much paler colour in its wake. She fingered one of her blue braids and watched as the strands of hair unravelled and a honey-blonde tint spread across them. She added a slight curl, just to be safe, and shortened it to shoulder length. Next, she had to alter her build, trading in her curvy, robust figure for something more graceful and petite. A few small adjustments to her face and voila! Iko had disappeared. All that was left was an unassuming (yet pretty) girl standing in an archway. Well, except for her outfit which was now completely the wrong size, but that would more likely work in her favour than against it, since everybody knew Iko wouldn't be caught dead looking anything less than perfection.

"Right." She said, her voice much higher than she was used to, "Now let's find out why the school's looking for me."

**A/N: Iko to the rescue! She's going to be a bit of a star for the next few chapters, because Iko is awesome and hasn't received enough spotlight in this story.**

**Please review!**


	53. Chapter 53

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Iko**

Iko made sure to skip as she wandered the hallways looking for the students Kinney mentioned. She also kept a sweet, innocent smile on her face, looked at everything with a wide-eyed wonder, and hummed a cheerful little tune under her breath. All part of the act. It's not enough to just to look like someone else. Okay, maybe it was, but no self-respecting actress would simply settle for a change in appearance! You must become an entirely different person, inside and out. You must change the way you walk, the way you act, the way you speak, not one aspect of your personality can be allowed to escape the makeover known as "getting into character". As an aspiring actress herself, Iko knew this better than anyone (and was very good at carrying it out too, if she does say so herself).

So it was as a sweet little fairy-princess of a girl that she very nearly ploughed into a couple of boys, instead of the stylish, funny, and overall amazing Iko Violets.

"Oh dear," she said, with an abnormal amount of giggling, "aren't I clumsy! I'm so very sorry. I do hope that I haven't hurt either of you."

The boys shared a look, probably wondering why a giggling little girl would think that she could hurt a couple of boys who, frankly, looked like they were carved from stone just by skipping into them.

"It's fine." One of them eventually said gruffly.

Iko clapped her hands in excessive delight. "Oh, how wonderful! I really would be upset if you were hurt. But I do still feel bad about running into you like that." She added, "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Do you know a girl named Iko Violets?" the other boy asked.

Aha! So these are the students that are looking for her! 

She shook her head mournfully. "I'm so sorry, no."  
"The headmistress has asked for her." The boy told her.

_Don't pale Violets. Whatever you do, don't let your face go pale!_

"I can still help!" She chirped, "What does she look like?"  
"Sixth year, tall, dark skin, blue hair, usually tied up in braids, eyes consistently shifting colour depending on mood." He recited, as though he were reading a police report.

Iko grinned. "Oh yeah, I think I saw a girl like that! She was outside, by the lake! But if you don't mind my asking, why are you asking about her?"  
"That's classified information." The other boy told her.

Ugh, seriously? Did this guy think he was in the army or something?  
"Ooh, classified?" she said curiously, "That sounds really important!"

"And you can't know about it." He said firmly, and made to walk around her, his partner following.

Iko simply hopped in his way, pretending not to notice the irritated scowl that settled across his features. "Oh, but I want to help more! Is there anyone else you want me to find?"  
"All other persons required by the headmistress have already been brought to her." The boy said formally.

Iko desperately pushed down the urge to gulp with panic and feigned disappointment. "Aw, that's too bad! Are you sure there's nothing else I can help you with?"  
"Positive." The boy insisted, before roughly shoving Iko out of the way and continuing down the hall with the other boy close behind.

Iko waited until she was sure she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before slumping against the wall and huffing with exhaustion. This was it. They'd been found out. Why else would Levana herself be asking for them? And from the sounds of it, she'd already gotten her evil little hands on the others.

She rubbed her face, wincing at the strange feel of it under her fingers, and groaned. There was no way this could get any worse.

"Iko?"

Instinctively, she looked up at who spoke. It was Kinney. And he was looking right at her. That would mean he was talking to her. Using her real name. But, she looked nothing like herself. How could he…? Maybe it's just a lapse in her acting. Yeah, yeah that must be it.

As casually as she could, Iko returned to a standing position and tilted her head to one side, blinking innocently at Kinney. "Who's Iko?"

Kinney just frowned at her. "Don't play dumb, I know it's you."  
"I'm sorry, but you've confused me with somebody else." She replied, "Are you looking for this, "Iko"? I can help you find her if you like."

"I saw you metamorphosing Violets." He said dryly.

Iko was very proud of her acting composure. She'd spent years honing it, so nothing, absolutely nothing could break through the shell of character that she'd built around herself. But as soon as Kinney said he saw her metamorphosing… it was like a troll took a club to that shell and shattered it into thousands of pieces.

Iko's jaw dropped, her perky posture slumping over with shock. All at once, her old fears and insecurities came rushing back in a tsunami of worry. She heard those kids in her old school, glaring at her, avoiding her, calling her a freak and a monster. She waited for those words to come out of Kinney's mouth, as they inevitably would. After all, he'd said nothing but insults to her since the moment they met. Why stop now?

But instead of hardening with hatred, or twisting with disgust, his face… softened.

"Why are you afraid?" He asked quietly.

Iko tossed her head and snorted. "Me? Afraid? Who says that I'm afraid?"

"Iko, you've literally turned white."

Iko blinked at glanced down at her hand. Sure enough, the skin was the colour of bone. She hurriedly shifted it back into her preferred dark colour, letting the rest of her body shift back to her normal shape as well.

She met Kinney's gaze. He looked… concerned. But that's impossible. "Kinney" and "concerned" are two words that don't belong in the same sentence. But Iko could think of no other word to describe the look in his eyes.

"I've just received some bad reactions to people finding out I'm a metamorphagus, that's all." She mumbled.

"Is that why the headmistress is asking for you? Because you're a metamorphagus?" Kinney asked.

She winced. "Actually, the reason's a lot more complicated than that…"

**A/N: Holy Stars Almighty I love Kiko.**

**Please review!**


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder had always considered herself unlucky. How could she not? Stuck living in a house as essentially a servant with two egotistical, whiny women who blamed her for everything that went wrong in their lives and the only person in the house that actually liked her has been dead for the past few months. She had a missing hand and leg, was treated like dirt in her last school, and has since gotten herself mixed up in a whole lot of life-threatening danger in this school. But this… this was a whole other level of bad luck.

She strained against the thick chains keeping her bound to the chair, wishing desperately that she still had her wand, but it was sitting on the carved ivory desk beside seven other wands, each tantalisingly in front of their respective owners.

"Are we going to be here long?" Thorne drawled, "These chains really chafe."

From her cushioned throne-like chair, Levana smiled, "You're staring just right of my head Mr Thorne. Look a little to the left."

Thorne scowled at her, his cheeks flushing slightly. From anger or embarrassment, Cinder couldn't tell, but he moved his head just to the left as Levana instructed.

She nodded with satisfaction. "Much better."

In one, graceful movement, she stood up from her chair and circled around her desk so she was standing in front of them. "Now then, do any of you know why you're here?"

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "No, but I guess you're going to tell us."

Levana narrowed her eyes briefly at Cinder but continued. "You're here, because all of you, plus a few more students, have been actively disturbing the peace here in this school."

"Um, are you sure you've brought the right students?" Thorne asked, "I mean, I make it my own personal mission to "disturb the peace", but Kai and Cress? I don't think they've ever even stolen a pencil from a teacher's desk!"

Levana ignored him. "Setting loose a werewolf inside the building, sneaking around after hours, meddling with the magic of the Star Tree, even murdering a staff member! Such transgressions cannot go unpunished."

"Did you just say… murder a staff member?" Cress asked faintly. Cinder had to hand it to her, the girl was a good actress.

Levana nodded. "Yes. I know you all are responsible for Aimery Park's death."

"How can we be responsible?" Kai protested, "He was killed by werewolves! Those things literally eat nothing but human! Professor Park shouldn't have been out in the Black Woods during the full moon."

"Aimery is a very competent wizard, he could easily have handled a couple of mutts." Levana replied coolly. "And I can't help but notice the extraordinary number of coincidences leading up to his death."

"Please, don't leave us in suspense." Jacin said with a roll of his eyes.

"Watch your tongue Mr Clay, it might get you into trouble." Levana told him coldly, before turning back to face all of her captives. "Reports from other students say that Miss Linh here started insulting Professor Park just as he arrived for library duty, and proceeded to beg for him not to give her detention in the Black Woods in the full moon."

"Yes, because I didn't want to get eaten alive by werewolves or acromantula or whatever other monsters you're keeping in that forest." Cinder interrupted.

"Even so, you've never displayed such a cowardly desperation to avoid the place, nor have you ever so recklessly insulted a teacher before." Levana mused, "Needless to say, it's quite suspicious."

"Since when is our headmistress also our resident detective – ow!" Thorne's joke dissolved into a yelp of pain as Levana smartly smacked him.

"And then there's the matter of my dear stepdaughter, Winter." Levana continued as if nothing had happened. "Why is it, that on the very night a powerful wizard was killed by some mindless creatures he should have been able to easily subdue, that her strange mutterings and hallucinations suddenly worsened exponentially and she began falling into random states of unconsciousness, and in her waking periods she's screaming and thrashing?"

"Try asking a doctor." Scarlet said.

"I did. She said that it was a result of Winter neglecting her Lunar gift had made it weak and that her worsened condition is a result of attempting to use her Lunar gift and overtaxing her brain." Levana said calmly, "That means she must have used her gift on the night of Aimery's death."

"So, what, you're saying that she made Aimery stand nice and still while the werewolves devoured him?" Kai asked incredulously, "Winter's way too sweet for that! She wouldn't hurt a fly, much less a human being."

"Winter has made I abundantly clear that she's not all too fond of Aimery." Levana countered, "I imagine it wouldn't be too much of a chip off her conscience to orchestrate a little accident for him."

Jacin glared at her. "No, it wouldn't be a chip off your conscience. Winter would never hurt anyone, no matter how much she hated them."

"She is a human, not an angel Mr Clay, I would ask for you to remember that."

"What I don't get is why the rest of us are here." Thorne said, "So far all I'm hearing is what Winter and Cinder did wrong."

Levana pointed one ivory skinned finger at Jacin. "He was out with Winter on the night of Aimery's death as well, which is why he's here. You," she turned the finger towards Thorne, "were found near the Star Tree by Sybil Mira a few weeks ago. A quick study carried out on the tree to see how long it's been since it's absorbed moonlight has shown us that is around when the tree's enchantment was altered. She," the finger shifted to Cress, "has been seen around your group constantly, and Sybil has reported to me that she is rather adept at altering enchantments. Therefore, she is the only student close to you that is sufficiently skilled to alter the Star Tree. And she," the finger shifted to Scarlet, "was seen walking around with Ze'ev Kesley, or as you like to call him, "Wolf", less than an hour before his sudden transformation. And he," the finger shifted to Kai, "according to the teachers is quite close to Miss Linh, who I've already confirmed to be an accessory in the operation to kill Aimery Park."

"You're kidding, right?" Scarlet burst out, "That's your evidence? It's all just guilt by association and circumstantial evidence!"

Levana nodded. "True, true, only none of the other students in this school have developed quite the same knack for being in the, as you seem to want me to believe, wrong place at the wrong time and associating so closely with the very people who all the evidence points to. Though I understand your concerns, and if on the off chance that I'm wrong about your involvement, I will let you go with nothing more than a warning to stay away from these unsavoury characters. Fine?"

Cinder scowled at the headmistress. Somehow, she doubted that. Levana was (unfortunately) convinced that they were all guilty. Undoubtedly everyone who was released from this office would find themselves in a little "accident" before Christmas.

"And how exactly are you going to confirm whether or not you're right?" Kai asked.

Levana smiled and curled a finger in a beckoning gesture towards Scarlet. The chains wrapped around her wrists and legs unravelled and she lurched to her feet with a grunt of surprise. It looked like she was being pulled around on strings. She walked in an oddly military-like manner so she was standing just to the side of Levana's desk. Slowly and deliberately, she placed a hand on the ivory surface and spread her fingers out. Levana opened a drawer and fished through it for a few moments. At the sight of her coldly delighted smirk, Cinder felt hundreds of cockroaches crawl up her spine.

Levana pulled out a knife, with a white crystal handle and oddly foggy metal, so all Cinder could see of her own reflection in the blade was a vague coloured blob. Levana handed the knife to Scarlet who took it and, her face draining of any semblance of colour, raised it over her own hand.

Levana turned and smiled at the still seated group. "For every lie you tell, your friend here will lose one of her fingers."

**A/N: Please review!**


	55. Chapter 55

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder couldn't tear her eyes away from the sharp edge of the knife. It was uncomfortably easy to imagine it slicing through Scarlet's flesh as if it were nothing more than butter, and even easier to imagine the scream of pain that would inevitably follow.

She tightened her grip on the armrests of her chair, desperately trying to expel some of the tension and disgust in her body. She couldn't let that knife fall. She couldn't let that happen to Scarlet. But how to stop it? There was no guarantee that Levana would keep her word, and if Cinder confessed that they had all been involved, they were probably all going to die anyway. There had to be a way to draw Levana's attention away from the others. There just had to be-

The gift. Cinder could use her gift. If she could just convince Levana that she had been the only one involved, that all the others were innocent, whatever evidence Levana might have against them. If she could just keep that notion stuck in Levana's mind for long enough, it will give the others a chance to escape.

She narrowed her eyes, gathering her concentration, but before she could even begin to force her will on Levana…

"Are you crazy lady?" Scarlet shrieked, her brown eyes alight with anger.

Levana cast her a disinterested glance. "Remember your manners Miss Benoit, or that knife might slip."  
"Remember my manners? _Remember my manners?_ You're threatening to cut my finger off!"

"And you'd do well to remember that."

Scarlet snorted. "She says, as if I can forget. I'm literally holding the knife!"

"And if you're not careful, you might drop it." Levana warned, a slight edge to her voice.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, now you're threatening me for being angry that you're threatening me with torture. Especially since I, or any of us, have done anything to actually deserve it."

"I'm sorry Miss Benoit, but it's clear you have."

"I'm sorry Headmistress, but it's clear you're just looking for someone to blame." Scarlet snapped mockingly, "All the evidence you have is flimsy, at best, but instead of actually seeing that, you're just going to mutilate me until someone lies and says "yep, we're the culprits, feel free to accidentally murder us.""

Levana arched an eyebrow. "So, you continue to deny your involvement in Aimery's death?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I've been saying. I mean come on, your evidence for Kai was basically, "he's friends with Cinder"."

"Well then, what if I presented more evidence?"

"I swear, if you're going to say something like, "they checked out the same book in the library"-"

"the centaurs have informed me that a group of students came to them about their recent chaotic behaviour."

Wait, the centaurs did what?

Even Scarlet briefly lost her bravado as she stared at Levana in shock.

The headmistress smirked triumphantly at them. "I sent Jael down to the Black Woods in order to get those wretched beasts in line. Imagine my surprise when he came back and said that, according to the centaurs, some students had already paid them a visit, not only that but offered their help, to get rid of the werewolves I've decided to let roam in the forest. After all, I can't exactly let them run around the school during the full moon, and they deserve a chance at education just as much as any other child."

That was about as much as Cinder could take.

"You don't care about their education!" she snapped, "You couldn't give a doxy's wing about their human lives! All you care about is the fact that they're unstoppable killing machines who would eat anyone you pointed them to. I'm willing to bet that some of them you've gotten bitten on purpose!"

Levana turned her cool obsidian gaze on Cinder. "And what would you do with them, Miss Linh? Would you welcome them with open arms, tell them that they belong in our society, that their worth just as much as the rest of us? Would you even tell them that they are just like us?"

"They are just like us!" Scarlet shouted.

Levana ignored her. "Those creatures are a menace to society, good for nothing besides killing. For centuries, the wizarding world has failed to see the potential in that, I have. I have given them a purpose in life, one that they excel at, one that they enjoy." She cast a mocking look over her shoulder at Scarlet. "Or did you think your friend Kesley was weeping in grief instead of growling when he attacked all those students?"

Scarlet clenched her jaw, but couldn't seem to find any words to say.

Levana smirked triumphantly, before turning her attention back to Cinder. "But enough of that. Your friend just admitted that she's sympathetic to my werewolves, that she thinks I only value them because they're, how did you put it? "Unstoppable killing machines"."

Cinder snorted, trying to pull up whatever bravado she had left in her previously endless store. "So?"

"So, that's an interesting opinion to have for someone who, as you would have me believe, has never been to the Black Woods."

Cinder opened her mouth, though she wasn't sure what would come out. A totally unbelievably lie? The truth? By some lucky fluke an actually believable lie?

But Scarlet beat her to it.

"Well you basically admitted to the Ministry that you've got a whole bunch of werewolves here, right? And no-one who's actually met you will believe you did that out of the goodness of your heart. The fact that you only like them because they're violent is kind of a no-brainer."

Levana gave her an unreadable look. "And the accusation that I arranged for some of them to get bitten?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Hey, a reputation as a charitable figure couldn't hurt. The more werewolves you take in, the better."

"So you continue to deny that you all have taken any actions to undermine the school?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I've been saying."

"Very well."

It was fast, almost too fast for Cinder to see. One second the knife was merely wavering above Scarlet's hand, nothing more than a threat. The next it was buried in the wooden desk, its once pristine white surface stained red with blood. Cinder could just make out something round and pink in the middle of the red puddle and she felt her stomach try to jump out of her throat.

Scarlet's shriek of pain had long-since died out, and she was clutching her bleeding hand to her chest, ignoring or not noticing the liquid splashing onto her red hoodie.

Levana took the knife out of the desk, almost casually, and smiled at the group of teenagers. "So who wants to go next?"

**A/N: The interrogating continues.**

**Please review!**


	56. Chapter 56

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**Cinder**

Cinder couldn't take her eyes away from the knife, still dripping with Scarlet's blood. Every light splash of the droplets as they fell on the ivory desk seemed deafening. Cinder swallowed, feeling suddenly sick.

The others didn't seem much better. They were so pale, Cinder doubted that they would bleed if Levana chose any of them to be her next victim.

Scarlet was squeezing her mutilated hand tightly in an effort to stop the steady flow of blood. She was blinking a lot, and her brown eyes looked oddly shiny. Occasionally, a small moan of pain would escape her lips. But Levana paid her no mind, instead scanning the group chained to their chairs before her.

Eventually, her onyx eyes landed on Cress, who immediately went still.

"How about you, Crescent?" Levana offered pleasantly, "Would you like to go next?"

"You leave her alone!" Thorne snapped, straining against his chains

Levana arched an amused eyebrow. "Carswell, you very noble of you. Perhaps you would like to take her place?"

Cinder grit her teeth. Just listening to the calm, almost apathetic way Levana talked about torture… it was enough to make her blood burn in her veins. Who did this lady think she was? A queen? She was nothing but a school headmistress, and yet she was doling out punishments that not even the Ministry could give with impunity.

Cinder's fists clenched on the armrests of her prison chair. Her breath came out in harsh huffs. She felt a vein throb in her forehead. She couldn't stay like this for much longer, not while this – this – this tyrant threatened her friends like this.

Cinder reached out for Levana's mind. She could feel it, cold and sharp. She wrapped her will around it…

Suddenly, Levana threw out her arm, tossing away the knife with such force that it buried itself in the wall. Everyone in the room stared at it in shock. Even Levana herself seemed surprised by her action. She looked down at the arm that had thrown the knife, flexing her fingers and bending her elbow as if she was trying to see what was wrong with it.

When she looked up at them again, Cinder was taken aback. For the first time, Levana looked… angry. No, not just angry. Furious. Her perfect features were twisted hideously with rage and hate, her dark eyes practically burning.

"Who did that?" She hissed, "Which of you did that?"

Thorne leaned over to Cress. "Um, what just happened? I heard a thunk, but I can't really draw much from that."

"The headmistress threw her knife at the wall." Cress whispered back.

"So, why is she asking who did it?"

"Because one of you made me do it!" Levana shrieked, "I know it! I know the works of the Lunar gift better than anyone! Who did it? Which of you dared manipulate me?"

"She's really lost it hasn't she?" Kai muttered to Cinder.

"Pretty sure she lost it a while ago." She replied.

"Silence!" Levana screamed, "Who did it? Which of you is the Lunar?"

She stared at the group, her eyes feverishly flicking between them.

"Clay!" she cried, "Is it you, Clay? I know you are Lunar!"

"A Lunar with an incredibly weak gift." Jacin countered, eying the headmistress warily, "I definitely couldn't make you throw your knife into the wall."  
Levana cried out with frustration and pointed at Cress. "You, then. You're a Lunar! Sybil told me so! You did it! You made me throw the knife!"

Cress shrank back as far as her restraints would allow her. "I-I'm a shell Headmistress. I don't have a gift."

Levana reeled back, the anger on her face momentarily replaced by disgust and… fear? "A shell?"  
"Yes Headmistress."

Levana suddenly marched to Cress's chair and moved it so it was facing away from her. "Look away! Close your eyes! Turn around!"

"What is she so freaked out about?" Kai whispered, "What's a shell?"

"I think it's a Lunar with no gift who is immune to the gift." Cinder murmured back, hurriedly adding, "Professor Gertman mentioned them."

Kai whistled softly. "No wonder she wants Cress to look away. Her entire appearance is an illusion, right?"

"That's what I'm guessing."

"You will not tell anyone what you saw." Levana hissed to the shivering Cress, "You won't even think about it! I'll kill you if I that's what it takes, do you understand me? I'll kill you!"

"Will you quit it? You're scaring her, your scaring all of us!" Thorne yelled, "We haven't done anything to deserve this! Just let us go already!"

"I will not let you go!" Snapped Levana, "You will stay here, and face punishment for your actions!"

"Is this a bad time?"

Cinder twisted her neck around to look at the office entrance. Kinney was standing there, looking very uncomfortable. She watched as his eyes flickered over Cress as she quavered with fear, to Scarlet who was still trying to stop her bleeding hand, to the chains binding their wrists to the chairs, to the bloody knife sticking out of the wall.

"What do you want, Kinney?" Levana asked, her voice once again composed, "Who let you into my office?"  
"Professor Clay, Headmistress." He replied, dutifully ignoring the scene spread out before him, "He wanted me to deliver a message since he himself was occupied."

"Well? What is the message? Spit it out Kinney." Levana said impatiently.

"It's the centaurs headmistress." He said, "They're attacking the school."

Cinder's eyes widened. Why would they be attacking? Has the werewolf problem really gotten that bad? Have they lost patience with Cinder and her friends? If they have, then Levana won't have to worry about arranging their deaths herself.

The headmistress slowly turned to glare at them. "You've done this, haven't you?"

"How could we have made the centaurs attack?" Cinder burst out, "We've been stuck here, fearing for our lives as you've threatened us with torture over something we didn't even do!"

"Silence!" Levana snaped, and smacking Cinder across the face.

Cinder grit her teeth. For a pampered lady, Levana could sure hit hard. Her ears were ringing. Actually, it was more like a hum than a ring.

"What's that noise?" Thorne asked.

Wait, so it wasn't just Cinder's ears?

The hum grew louder, and the very air seemed to crackle with energy. Cinder looked around, trying to find the source, and her eyes landed on the wands still arranged on the desk. One of the wands, her wand, was shaking and rolling to and fro across the wooden surface. Occasionally, kaleidoscopic sparks would fire from the tip.

"Uh, Cinder?" Kai said, "Does your wand normally do that?"  
"Well, it's done something similar before, but no, not normally." She replied.

Slowly, the wand rose into the air, so it was hovering a good foot above the desk. Levana's eyes narrowed, and she reached for her own wand tucked into her belt. But whatever she was planning to do with it never came to fruition, as the wand suddenly fired a stream of rainbow sparks that hit her square in the chest with such force that the headmistress was sent flying across the room so that she hit the wall and slid down to the floor, motionless. Cinder narrowed her eyes and saw the steady rise and fall of her chest. She was alive. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Well, now that she's been taken care of," Kinney began, a slight quiver to his voice, "we should really get moving."

**A/N: Please review!**


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